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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24546604">An Irken's Purpose</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChubbySluggie/pseuds/ChubbySluggie'>ChubbySluggie</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Terrible_Gir/pseuds/The_Terrible_Gir'>The_Terrible_Gir</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Invader Zim</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aged-Up Dib (Invader Zim), Alternate Universe - Supernatural Hunters, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Brainwashing, Broken PAK (Invader Zim), Cryptids, Depression, Dib is Of Legal Age (Invader Zim), Dib is a clone, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, Gir is baby, Hurt/Comfort, Irken Empire (Invader Zim), Irken culture, Irken headcanons, Irkens are Terrible (Invader Zim), Irkens are cats, M/M, Monster Hunters, Other, Post-Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus, Sensitive Antennae, Slow Burn, Touch-Starved, ZADF, ZaDr, Zim can't accept that might be a bad thing, Zim is Bad at Feelings (Invader Zim), Zim is Defective (Invader Zim), dib is just trying to help, indoctrination, irkens are repressed, irkens purr, it's time for some emotional healing, oh and dib is a tall ass mofo but zim still short, some made up irken lore, the irken empire is pretty much a giant cult in this</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 00:48:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>109,930</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24546604</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChubbySluggie/pseuds/ChubbySluggie, https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Terrible_Gir/pseuds/The_Terrible_Gir</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>An awkward goth and a tiny, angry alien go into business together.</p><p>It's another "Tallest tell Zim" Fic (but honestly guys, he deserves to know!) When they leave him stranded on Earth with a dying PAK, it's up to our two beans to work together and figure out a solution. This fic will be exploring all the angst and emotional healing both of these boys desperately need, whilst they go on a bunch of dumb supernatural-type adventures and make a bit of a mismatched life together.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dib/Zim (Invader Zim)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>218</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>363</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The End</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I just found myself writing this today as a form of stress relief, and it turned into a thing.</p><p>Invader Zim and characters belong to Jhonen Vasquez and Nickelodeon (and maybe Netflix now Ig?) :)</p><p>If you read and enjoy please leave a comment and let me know ^^' I'd like to carry this on and continue posting, but only if people are enjoying it.</p><p>Also, the chapter title is a bit of a Red Dwarf reference... it fits though, because this chapter is kinda the "end" of the zade tbh. From here on out, Dib is gonna be pretty damn supportive and Zim is gonna return that in the future. </p><p>I try to keep them as in character as I can, but with a few differences. The Zim in this fic is reacting differently than I'd imagine he most likely would in the show (because I'm trying to keep that aspect of this fic pretty serious tbh), and Dib isn't a little sociopath anymore because... you know, he finally grew out of that stage of childhood where you have literally no empathy for anyone else. I love darker versions of Dib, but I also kinda want a lot of fluff in this story.</p><p>Also, please don't get offended when Dib refers to the "bullshit" that comes along with dealing with someone who has depression. He's speaking flippantly and from personal experience... I've also suffered with pretty severe depression in my life and I can wholeheartedly confirm that I was an absolute bitch to a lot of people because of it, and ended up causing a quite a few arguments.</p>
    </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Trigger Warning -<br/>- Suggested/implied suicidal thoughts<br/>- Depression<br/>- Alcohol<br/>- Implied self-harm</p><p>(I'm adding this warning here now because it will be the only time it is actually relevant throughout the story and I wanted to clear up my tags a little bit. Also, PLEASE if you guys notice anywhere in this fic that I have missed serious triggers that need to be tagged/noted then let me know. I am not writing this to upset anyone and I want everyone to enjoy this as much as possible ^^)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"This is your final warning, Zim. We will not call you again... Do <em>not</em> attempt to call us." Red spoke, unusually calm with a small smile tugging at the very corner of his carefully controlled expression.</p><p>Zim stood, staring wide-eyed at the screen, his mouth making the motions of a fish as he watched the two people in the entire Universe he had any sort of loyalty to, tear into his world and leave him adrift.</p><p>"I can't tell if you are actually processing this, so I have instructed your computer to record this message. You may repeat it until it finally sinks into that tiny tiny brain of yours. You are officially exiled from The Empire. Not only are you merely banished, since proving you cannot simply stay away from interfering with our operation, you of this moment forward are to be disconnected from the Control Brains. This is unconventional, but since we cannot allow you to interface directly with the Brains again after... the last time, we will settle. This will of course lead you to die slowly on "<em>Urth</em>", where you are compelled to stay until you finally die from PAK failure." Red recited, coldly, as though reading from a pre-written message.</p><p>Zim felt his throat constrict, going dry and he managed to choke out a quiet, "M-my Tallest?"</p><p>"As we have already spent far too long today trying to finally get this through to you, I will end this message now. You are hereby restricted from accessing information from The Massive, The Control Brains and any true citizen of Irk." He spoke slowly, looking up and meeting the little irken's eyes through the screen, a sadistic smirk forming on his face as he spoke the last few words, "Long live the Empire, and goodbye... <em>Food-Service Drone Zim</em>."</p><p>"<em>YEAH!</em> BYE ZIM! HAVE FUN <em>DYING</em> AND ALL!" Shouted Purple from the side of the screen before it cut out and went black.</p><p>Zim continued to stare at the screen for a while, before giving a slow salute to the black screen and quietly requesting that the computer replay it again.</p><p> </p><p>-----</p><p>In a small apartment across the other side of town was a messy, single bedroom that housed a messy, single boy. The apartment was rarely ever cleaned, and the smell in the air was musky, but not overbearing. It smelled like black coffee and old books; like too many long nights spent reading up on things that should most likely remain forgotten. There was a raven-haired young man sat, slouching in a desk chair, nursing a cup of coffee close to him and pondering something.</p><p>When was the last time he'd seen that little alien menace recently?</p><p>Last Monday, was the conclusion he'd come to. Well over a week ago.</p><p>Dib frowned and span in his chair so he was facing out of the window, and taking a sip of his coffee. He grimaced when he realised it was still too hot, and placed it down on the desk next to a pile of notebooks. His laptop sat open on a research website about the existence of some sort of half raccoon-half bear creature that he'd lost interest in about half an hour earlier. He flipped open a notepad that detailed Zim's last plan he had foiled. It had been almost an entire two months earlier. The invader had to be planning something big, he was sure of it.</p><p>He jumped up from his chair, grabbing his trench coat from a hook on the door of his study - old habits died hard, and even though he had plenty of other coats and had long since outgrown his original one, nothing felt quite the same as a good-old black trench. He shoved his keys and phone in the pocket, making sure to take an extra moment to check his trusty pocket-knife was also still there, and glanced a look back to see if he had forgotten anything he might possibly need.</p><p>His dirty clothes lay strewn over the couch where he'd left them in the main room, the door to his bedroom was open and his bed was messy yet barely slept in. That was normal. The kitchen door was also open and he paused a moment before dashing over and grabbing a protein bar out of an, otherwise unused, fruit bowl. He bit the wrapper off and ate it on his way out the door, foregoing his car for the short walk over to Zim's base.</p><p>-----</p><p>Dib looked over to his rival's house from across the street. He felt a certain sense of unease.</p><p>The place looked just as it always had, for the past nine years...</p><p>The little house stood out from the rest of the cul-de-sac. The grass was unkempt and overgrowing the little pathway leading to the bathroom door at the centre. Wires probing intrusively into the buildings on either side, sucking up whatever power they could and probably causing his neighbours bills to go through the roof. Again, he wondered how no one else had ever even once been suspicious. Even after the Florpus incident, when Zim had been running around without his disguise, giant robot minions in toe and the entire planet had been teleported across the Universe directly in front of the Massive. Once things returned to normal, the news coverage had put it down to a mass hallucination caused by a specific brand of popular cereal with too many e-numbers. Dib had only been able to gawk at the television, as it revealed that none other than Professor Membrane himself had found the cause of the supposed "hallucination". Gaz had watched it along with him and seemed completely un-surprised, immediately returning to the book she was reading.</p><p>In that moment he finally understood. No matter what he did no one would ever believe him. It was pointless trying to expose Zim from that point onward, because no matter what - people either didn't believe him or just simply didn't care.</p><p>But he still couldn't bring himself to simply allow the little green menace to continue. The Florpus had proved once and for all that Zim really was capable of causing serious damage when the conditions were right. He no longer wanted to expose Zim, or even dissect him any longer (those more sadistic fantasies fading with age, once he developed a decent amount of empathy). He didn't particularly want to even fight Zim any longer. But he had to. It wasn't so much a desire any longer to be "Earth's Protector" or whatever. It was a duty. A chore, even. He tried not too think too much about how he always seemed to hunt down Zim whenever he disappeared for longer than a week. He definitely tried not to think about the fact that without Zim there with his irritating shouting and inane plans, he was actually rather lonely.</p><p>It was a pathetically, repeating cycle - Dib didn't really want to see the stupid little alien hurt anymore, didn't really want to beat him to a bloody pulp like he used to, but he also knew that he became unbearably lonely when they didn't. He had a slight inkling Zim might feel similarly towards him as well; he had realised that the irken had began pulling his punches once they'd reached high school. It started after a particularly bad fight put Dib in the hospital for an entire month, whilst Zim, who had also limped away from the fight with some pretty bad injuries, was healed in no less than a few days, and at Dib's bedside demanding to know why he hadn't been snooping around his base. Almost as though the idiot had never quite realised how humans weren't exactly equipped with accelerated healing and unnaturally high resilience. Dib quickly gave up any idea of Zim truly intending to kill him after that. Memories of age-old nightmares of those sharp spider-like legs ripping him apart were never brought into his waking days, and he had never really understood why that was exactly after he'd realised it.</p><p>The paranormal investigator shook himself out of his reverie and walked over to the alien's base, tapping a button on his phone the moment the gnomes' eyes started to glow menacingly red and immediately shutting them down. Zim knew he had figured out how to disable them long ago and never seemed to make any attempt at fixing that.</p><p>He wasn't surprised when the door swung open before he'd even removed his hands from his pockets. Gir stood in front of him, his the hood of his dogsuit down, clearly showing the little robot in all his otherworldly glory as he stepped out onto the front porch to meet Dib.</p><p>"HEY MARY!"</p><p>He smiled at that, bending down to gently pet the SIR on the head.</p><p>"Hey buddy... You seen Zim anywhere?"</p><p>"OHH! HE NOT TALKIN RIGHT NOW. HE DOWNSTAIRS. HE BEEN DOWN THERE A <em>REEEEAALLL</em> LONG TIME NOW!" Gir responded, chipper as always.</p><p>"Downstairs? In the base? How long has he been down there, Gir?"</p><p>"<em>UMM</em>... MAYBE LIKE... 3... 5... <em>11 PIZZAS</em>?? I ORDERED A PIZZA ONCE EVERY DAY HE BEEN THERE!" the robot seemed to slump slightly before continuing, "I keeps tryin' to get master to come up an' enjoy some teevees buts he just standin' there and listnin'... but he not listnin' to me."</p><p>Dib cocked a brow and puzzled over the words a moment. He nervously watched for any response and slowly asked his next question,</p><p>"Would you... take me to him?"</p><p>Gir's eyes flashed a vibrant red for a mere second, and Dib's heart leapt into his chest, before relaxing again. Just as quickly as it happened, they were back to their normal bright cyan colouring and the little robot stepped back inside and motioned for him to follow. Dib breathed a sigh of relief and followed behind, now safe in the knowledge that Zim's computer and defence system wouldn't attack him if he was allowed inside by Gir - a realisation that had dawned upon him after he'd noticed the SIR's love of ordering fast food delivery.</p><p>The android slipped out of his doggie costume, it slipped to the floor with a sickening squelch and Dib's stomach turned and what he assumed was days-old grease pooling around it. He followed Gir over to the trash can and stepped inside after his guide, riding the elevator down into the real base below the fake house. He looked around, knowing full well he'd been here plenty of times before but never really having explored it thoroughly either. Something felt wrong. It was too dark. Too quiet.</p><p>They came to a stop and stepped off the platform, the lights coming on when Gir padded forward into the room. He lead Dib through the main room and into the communication hub. This was at least one part of the base Dib knew, and he was relieved when he saw Zim stood in the centre of the room at first.</p><p>"Zim! Where have you been? What are you planning this time?!" He said, immediately running over to the little alien. He walked around to stand in front of him. Zim's eyes were open, but they were completely blank, staring through him and straight at the black screen behind his head. His mouth hung slightly agape. Dib blinked and furrowed his brows, moving a hand in front of his rival's features to try and get some sort of response.</p><p>Receiving none, he braced himself and shook the irken's shoulder, shaking it gently, "Zim I-"</p><p>Before he even had half the sentence out, the irken invader's eyes snapped back into focus and he was immediately flipped over and pinned to the floor by two PAK legs holding the shoulders of his trench coat, one just scraping his skin enough to cause a thin gash made him wince combined with the pain shooting up his back and the dizziness in his head from being uplifted. He groaned and moved a hand to Zim's chest to give him a firm push back. Zim didn't budge.</p><p>"What. <strong><em>exactly</em></strong>. do you think you are doing here, Pig-Smelly?" he spat through clenched teeth.</p><p>Dib glared back up at him, "You've not shown your ugly bug-face for over a week now Zim... What are you planning this time?!"</p><p>Zim seemed taken aback for a split second. His expression difficult to read, but Dib had spent years watching and observing. He thought he caught a glimmer of... shock? worry? ...He wasn't really sure. It was gone as soon as he registered it, replaced by look of carefully constructed malice.</p><p>"That... IS <em>NONE</em> OF YOUR BUSINESS, <em>DIB-STINK</em>! YOU THINK YOU CAN COME IN ZIM'S BASE AND DEMAND AN ANSWER?! ZIM WILL NOT BE SO EASY TO GIVE AWAY HIS SECRETS!" His gloved hands grabbed the collar of Dib's shit and he pulled him up, face almost meeting face, almost as if to burn the glare into his face.</p><p>Dib struggled, but was unable to move from his prone position, he tried to throw Zim off of him but only ended up with a punch to the face for his troubles. He scrunched his face up and moved to swat the swat the thin arm away, before delivering one of his own. It was difficult from his position, with his shoulders pinned to the ground. Zim grinned and certain fight came back to his eyes that Dib hadn't even noticed had been missing until he saw it.</p><p>"<em>HAHAHAHA!</em> YOU STUPID HUMAN! COMING INTO ZIM'S BASE ALONE AND UNGUARDED! NOW I WILL FINALLY PUT AN END TO YOUR MEDDLING ONCE AND FOR ALL!" He shouted, jabbing a knee straight into Dib's gut. Dib grunted and grabbed at the irken's side, trying again to pry him off with enough force to throw him across the room, but the PAK legs remained firmly dug into the floor, keeping Zim perfectly in place.</p><p>"I'LL ALWAYS STOP YOU ZIM! YOU CAN TRY ALL YOU WANT TO STOP ME BUT WE BOTH KNOW I ALWAYS <em>WIN</em>!" He spouted back and tirelessly continued the struggle.</p><p>They tussled a while longer, eventually Dib managed to gain an advantage and threw Zim off balance, skidding over on a spider leg. He rolled and jumped up with trained agility and leapt at Dib, teeth bared and hissing like a wild cat. The young man placed a well-timed punch directly in the centre of his face and sent him flying backwards again.</p><p>Then Zim had Dib on the run again a moment later. It went on like this for about an hour; neither quite winning the fight until...</p><p>"OOF!" Zim hit the floor, Dib's arms pinning him and his frame dwarfing Zim's own. The alien whipped his head to look up at Dib with wide, frightened eyes. This had never happened...</p><p>He took in the sight of the taller boy towering over him and felt his breath hitch. Fear overtaking him... coupled with some other feelings that fluttered through him but didn't stick around long enough for him to identify.</p><p>Dib stared back, looking just as shocked.</p><p>This had never happened.</p><p>Throughout all of there battles, Dib felt he had gained the upper hand many times. He knew he was stronger than Zim himself, but also knew that alone would never help him. Even against such a smaller frame, Dib never stood a chance against the mechanical limbs, and the irkens agility and years of military training. That was why he tended to fight with his brain; out-thinking the other and predicting his movements after years of careful study.</p><p>This was different.</p><p>Never once had he ever managed to actually pin Zim down like this. Like there was a momentary lapse in the alien's own strength, speed, stamina...</p><p>He realised something else too.</p><p>Zim was panting. His face flushed and chest rising heavily.</p><p>Zim was out of breath.</p><p>Zim, who had a seemingly endless supply of energy and endurance... <em>was struggling</em>.</p><p>He seemed almost... weaker, somehow.</p><p>"<em>What.</em>.. What's wrong with you?" He found himself asking.<br/>
It was something he'd asked the little invader plenty of times. But this was in a different context, said more with concern and shock, than any real venom.</p><p>The alien snapped again at that, struggling and wiggling underneath the boy like a seal making its way onto a soggy beach.</p><p>"NOTHING! <em>NOTHING IS WRONG WITH ZIM</em>!" The response came back almost too defensively, and Dib noticed that for the first time since the fight began Zim was now refusing to meet his eyes. Dib bit his lip, tasting blood from where Zim had managed to snag a claw in their earlier fight. He pushed the other's shoulders into the ground, feeling his back arch against his PAK and hearing him hiss in pain from it.</p><p>"Zim... Just tell me." He spat out.</p><p>"WHY DO YOU EVEN WANT TO KNOW ABOUT ZIM, DIB-SHIT?!" the hissing alien snarled back at him.</p><p>"I-" He paused, realising he didn't have an immediate answer for that one. It should have been obvious really, his first and foremost concern every morning when he woke up, "...Because it probably means you're planning something, right?!"</p><p>The little alien was still struggling beneath him, but beginning to tire quickly. Still exhausted from their fight. Dib was still weirded out by that. He'd seen Zim go toe to toe with alien bounty hunters, monsters, and even another irken elite. Why was he so tired out from a pretty run-of-the-mill spat between the two of them?</p><p>The investigator waited patiently, his need for answers outweighing his desire to throw more insults at the troublesome menace he held in place. It suddenly came to mind that Zim could have just called on his computer to activate the defence systems at any point. It wasn't that far-fetched to think that Zim had most likely just forgotten about that though, he was a bit of a moron in the common sense department. Zim stopped struggling eventually, his arms falling to his sides, face still looking anywhere but at Dib.</p><p>"nothing."</p><p>The voice was surprisingly quiet. Dib had never heard Zim use such a volume before in his entire life. The word was said with a soft sigh, sounding almost defeated.</p><p>No... He had heard Zim sound like this one other time before. When Zim had been depressed before the Florpus incident. When he'd come to the conclusion that the Irken Armada was not heading to Earth. Dib hadn't given it much thought, since he'd always put it down to just being a part of the invader's ploy to trick him into helping him infiltrate Membrane labs and stealing the tech for his dad's Peace-Day bracelet. Then things had returned to normal once more when the Earth had been saved.</p><p>"...Are you in another Schmoop?"</p><p>Zim still didn't meet his gaze.</p><p>"This is hardly what one would call a Schmoop, Dib."</p><p>The response was too serious and it confused him even more. No nasty insult attached to his name, no demeaning words about his race...</p><p>"...Then what is it?"</p><p>Quiet again. The irken remained quiet for an uncomfortable amount of time. Dib was about to ask again, demand an answer when Zim spoke up,</p><p>"Computer... Replay the message once more... and translate into English. The Dib will not be contented until he understands."</p><p>The black screen instantly came to life once more.</p><p> </p><p>-------</p><p> </p><p>He lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling.</p><p>It had all been a lie. All those years he'd spent chasing Zim, protecting the planet. Discounting the Florpus hole, it had never been in any real danger. Sure, Zim may have managed to blow a few things up and experimented on a few kids. That was all worth putting a stop to, but it wasn't End-of-the-World scale as he had always been lead to believe. Things got rebuilt pretty quickly, and the kid with the happiness implant in his brain had gone on to start a pretty profitable business using recreations of the irken chemicals he'd taken from the screw. Dib had even seen Keef around, looking pretty damn happy with his robot eyes and improved vision. He snorted to himself, seemingly even when Zim was trying his best to be as evil and morally bankrupt as possibly things always seemed to work out against the little alien.</p><p>He thought back to what he'd heard Zim's leaders say in that video. He wanted to punch them right in their smug-bug faces.</p><p>How dare they reduce everything Dib had worked for to nothing in those mere moments. He was angry. No, he was fuming.</p><p>The young investigator slammed a hand down into the pillow next to him and cursed under his breath. They were millions and millions of lightyears away, with an army and an Empire. And he was just an angry boy who had barely even left his emo phase, despite already being 21 years old at this point.</p><p>He wanted to be angry at Zim. He wanted to look at that idiot's face and scream at him, punch him, demand to know how it had taken him this long to find out.</p><p>Going by what the bastard speaking in the video was saying, it seems like they'd tried to get rid of Zim many times before now. They had told him time and time again that he was not an invader, that they didn't want the Earth, that they didn't even care what Zim did as long as he stayed away from Irk and the Armada. How could his arch-nemesis be so blindly loyal and stupid that he still needed to be directly told this, time and time again until it finally got through to him?</p><p>What kind of backwards logic was that dumbass using until this point?!</p><p>He closed his eyes.</p><p>He <em>wanted</em> to be angry with Zim. The truth was that he wasn't though.</p><p>When the recording had finished, Zim remained motionless beneath him. He'd gotten up and walked over to the elevator.</p><p>"Are you going to capture me now? Take me to your Swollen Eyeballs?" He'd heard the other quietly ask behind him. It was so soft that he might not have heard it if the base wasn't so eerily quiet. If Gir hadn't returned upstairs halfway through their fight to watch some idiotic cartoon on the tv, then he definitely would not have heard it.</p><p>"Zim will be right here... may as well be of use to someone... even if it is the Dib-Smelly."</p><p>He never gave an answer. Just left the base and walked home to his too-large, too-silent apartment.</p><p>Zim was just as much a victim in this. More of one actually. His entire life, everything he'd known had been a lie. Sure, his leaders had tried telling him before now, but they had still sent him on his "mission". They'd still made a joke out of him. Dib didn't even want to know what an "Existence Evaluation" was...</p><p>Clearly there was more about Zim he had no idea about... and that did piss him off. He'd studied the little guy for nine years at this point!<br/>
Was he really so bad at his job that he hadn't noticed Zim's mission was a fake?</p><p>Thinking back now he realised he had overlooked a great many things, especially when he'd met Tak. It all should have been obvious. Tak was a real invader. If she had been the one sent to infiltrate and conquer Earth, Dib knew he never would have stood a chance. She'd blended in perfectly with the class, looking like any other gothy kid. He'd not expected a thing. He: the most paranoid kid in the entire school... the entire neighbourhood, had thought she was pretty cool. She'd done her research before exposing herself to the locals, taking care to find a work-around for the irkens' obvious meat intolerance, and aversion to rain. Even her SIR unit was like nothing he'd ever seen before; moving between shadows too fast for the human eye to catch more than a glimpse of until it was perched neatly on her shoulders. He thought about MIMI compared to Gir... There was no comparison.<br/>
Sure, they had stopped Tak. But that was only because she had revealed herself to Zim, and his rival had managed to convince him to help.</p><p>And Tak had been just one single invader. Working alone on a vendetta against Zim.</p><p>Zim had said in their early years that his job was merely to provide a gateway for the Armada: to prepare Earth for the invasion. The thought of Earth really being on the Empire's list sent chills through him - they would never stand a chance if the other irkens were even half as good as Tak was. He shook the thoughts from his mind, reminding himself that one of the irken leaders had stated clearly, and multiple times, that they indeed had no desire for Earth.</p><p>He rolled off the bed and dragged himself into the kitchen, rooting through the cupboards and looking deep at the back to see what was left over still from days at college. He'd never been much of a drinker, even back then when all the other students were sneaking alcohol out to parties and such, but he had gotten into the habit of occasionally drinking alone until all of the pain in his head was eased by the dizzying feeling. Back then, he'd also been ridiculously aware of how being intoxicated would make him vulnerable to attacks: from Zim, or from other creatures lurking about in the dark. So, he had never drank all too often. But still, it was nice to occasionally allow himself to switch off. He stared at the bottle of Poop-brand vodka, the seal opened but barely any of the liquid actually missing. Grimacing, he took the cap off and forced himself to down a couple shots worth of the stuff. It stung and he immediately went to reach for some soda to wash it down but stopped short...</p><p>He needed the tipsy feeling more than he needed the horrible taste to go away right now.</p><p>Biting back the urge to spit into the sink, he threw his head back and took another swig.</p><p> </p><p>------</p><p> </p><p>Dib woke up the next morning lying on his bed, with one arm sticking out the neck of his pyjama top and the bottle of vodka sat on the bedside table, now around half empty. He still had a taste in his mouth that he thought would probably be something similar to what bleach mixed with his sister's cheapest perfumes tasted like. He winces, feeling the full affects of a hangover take control, but forced himself limply out of bed and over to the kitchen to brew some fresh coffee. The whistle of the kettle only helped to worsen the ringing already present in his ears and he rubbed his temples, grumbling under his breath.</p><p>After a few mugs of coffee and some slightly burned toast he finally let his mind face what he had learned yesterday and how he wanted to go forward.</p><p>He knew that he was pissed.</p><p>He knew that he wanted to scream and break things.</p><p>He knew he also wanted to cry and look around for some form of sharp object.</p><p>But, he also knew that someone else was dealing with exactly the same problems, as well as a multitude of emotional baggage he couldn't even begin to imagine unpacking.</p><p>There were plenty of things in that video that he didn't really understand. Parts of the irken culture he wasn't privy to, and wasn't completely sure he even wanted to be. But the investigator in him wanted to understand, and the human being in him wanted to comfort the only other creature he knew of who could even be feeling remotely similar to how he himself was feeling right now.</p><p>So, grabbing his keys and phone, he made his way out of the little apartment block and begin the short walk to his old neighbourhood, and back towards the home of his old rival. He let the breeze of the light spring morning clear his still slightly-dizzy head and considered what he was about to do.</p><p>Really, what was he planning to do?</p><p>Sit down over tea and cookies with Zim and talk through all their issues and old drama?</p><p>The thought almost made him laugh it was so ridiculous.</p><p>He wanted to turn around, reminding himself that this was stupid. Despite what had happened, Zim had still been an absolute monster to him his entire like - haunting his nightmares just as much as he did his waking life. The nights he gota peaceful rest with thoughts of those slick metallic legs skittering into his dreams were rare for certain. He hated Zim. Loathed him even...</p><p>He needed to keep telling himself that.</p><p>But, even so... There was something which kept him going as he was walking over to the strange little house. He knew exactly what it was:</p><p>His own stupid, human morality.</p><p> </p><p>------</p><p> </p><p>After he'd been through the motions with Gir once again, he made his way down into the base. Walking back into the communication hub just on a hunch. However, he did not expect to find Zim still on the floor in the exact spot he'd left him the previous day, staring blankly up at the ceiling. Dib groaned and moved a hand through his hair, gently nudging the alien with his foot.</p><p>"Zim?... You still breathing?"</p><p>He didn't look away from his intense study of the ceiling, but he wasn't shaken out of whatever daze he had been in exactly like he had been the last time either, simply sighing and responding with,</p><p>"Yes, Dib... Zim is not dead yet."</p><p>"...You're still on the floor." He tried.</p><p>"I am aware."</p><p>"It's...<em> um</em>... probably kinda <em>dirty</em> down there, right?" He held out a hand for the ex-invader, a little awkward, but unsure how exactly to broach the idea of peace with the little weirdo. Zim merely shrugged in response to him, making no move to accept the invitation to be pulled up.</p><p>Sighing, Dib resigned himself and sunk down to sit down not too far from the shell of the person he'd spent a good chunk of his life fighting tooth and claw with. Zim's odd behaviour was making him incredibly uneasy.</p><p>"Look... This is just weird, okay? Seeing you like this... I mean at least last time you slumped in front of the TV and ate something... I'm assuming." He rambled, unsure where he even wanted to go with this, "I mean this can't be that different from then, right?"</p><p>Zim looked like a lifeless doll right now. He was a pale green that seemed off and unhealthy on him, and his eyes were glazed over and duller than he was used to seeing. Zim's eyes had always been vibrant and deep, no matter what kind of mood he was in. The whole image gave Dib the shivers, and it didn't get better when he heard Zim's next words,</p><p>"Zim had not been given an order '<em>last time</em>'. This time I have a direct order from My Tallest on what to do next..."</p><p>Dib blinked, thinking back through the video he'd watched and came up blank.</p><p>"What order?"</p><p>Zim didn't respond, seemingly not feeling the need to dignify that question with an answer. Dib felt his heart drop.</p><p>
  <em>Oh.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>------</p><p>The next few days were strange to say the least. He was somewhat thankful that Zim wasn't exactly suicidal in the literal sense of the word, not physically hurting himself in anyway but seemingly content to just let himself wait until death. He didn't really want to think about the implications of that, whether it was actually worse or not. As long as he could at least try to keep Zim going through the motions, he hoped that eventually things would begin to get better.</p><p>He'd tried to coax Zim off the floor of the base at first, one the other gave no response he'd eventually just gotten fed up enough to take a leap of faith and pick the alien in in order to sling him over one shoulder. Zim gave no protest, simply letting himself hang limply from Dib.</p><p>He'd remained compliant as Dib sat him down on the couch upstairs, before going to root through the fridge for something he was certain the little alien could eat. Inside he'd found twelve empty containers of Jello, a bottle of something that could have either been some sort of pink alien soda or a cleaning product that Gir had put in there, and a pair of sneakers much too big for the dejected little alien slumped into the cushions. He slumped and walked back into the other room.</p><p>"Okay. I'm gonna go get you some food. Is there anything you can actually eat besides sweets and waffles?"</p><p>He got the response he'd expected: a bored shrug.</p><p>Biting his lip he quickly ran through everything he vaguely remembered from high school; the days he had been in the exact same position and wasting away on the coach. Looking back on it now he realised that there was a lot of bullshit that came along with depression and he wasn't exactly sure how his sister had actually ever put up with it. It would at least explain SOME of her fowl mood.</p><p>"Look, you may as well tell me okay? You're eating something today whether you like it or not. So it might as well be something you enjoy."</p><p>He waited a moment and was about to finally give up on a response when he heard a quiet,</p><p>"I can eat anything with a high amount of sugar, as well as most of your Earth fruits and the sweeter of your vegetables."</p><p>Dib offered him a thankful smile, before nodding and heading out. He quickly asked Gir to keep an eye on Zim for him while he was gone before making it halfway down the street and realising Gir would probably literally spend about two minutes just staring at Zim, before getting distracted by something completely unrelated. Maybe he should have asked the moose...</p><p>Eventually, he made it to a small corner store and took a basket. He dropped in a bunch of different fruits; ones he knew were sweet and juicy. He picked out some carrots, sweetcorn, peas, as well as some salad, and dropped them all in the basket. Unsure what else he could grab from the savoury foods he then moved on to the sweets and treats isle. He popped some boxes of chocolates, cookies, more Jello for Gir, some toaster-waffles and pop-tarts...</p><p>When he got to the frozen section he chuckled under his breath at the thought of Zim digging into a tub of <em>Ben&amp;Jerries</em> and balling his eyes out over the Tallest, like a schoolgirl would over an ex-boyfriend. The image made him cringe, but also laugh at the absurdity of it. He threw some ice cream and froyo into the basket, making sure to pick the sickliest-looking flavours he could find and adding a couple boxes of Unicorn-flavoured ice pops. Not really sure what flavour a unicorn was but presuming it had to be the sweetest thing he could possibly imagine.</p><p>Once he'd paid, he made his way back to the little house with two bags full of food and put them down in front of Zim.</p><p>"Do you want to pick something out?"</p><p>Zim eyed him wearily, before picking up one of the bags and grabbing the first thing he could. He pulled out a bag of big donuts, covered in pink and blue frosting, sprinkles and icing sugar. Dib felt himself getting diabetes just from looking at the bag. Zim picked one out and looked at it for a moment, the icing melting slightly onto his gloved fingers. He didn't seem to particularly mind in that moment though.</p><p>He took a bite of the treat and his eyes lit up for a moment, as he gave a contented sigh. A second later he was back to the blank look, but he continued to eat. Dib felt content with that and went into the kitchen to put the rest of the food away, tossing one of the tubs of Jello over to Gir. Once he was done with that he asked Gir to talk him through the very-alien remote and how it worked, before beginning to flick through the channels. Gir booed at almost any channel he paused on that looked remotely interesting to him, complaining about wanting to watch cartoons. Dib was watching for any kind of reaction to the different channels from Zim, but the green lump seemed absolutely determined to remain as ambivalent and uncaring about any of it as possible. The boy rolled his eyes and thought for a moment about what Zim might actually enjoy - or would have enjoyed had he not been in the middle of an existential crisis. He settled on a violent-looking action movie with the bare-minimum of plot that was already halfway into its run time.</p><p>Even though the story made no real sense and Dib felt himself loosing brain cells just from watching it, he was glad he'd picked something Gir and Minimoose at least seemed happy with, both cheering whenever something exploded. He noticed Zim seemed to give a small, almost inaudible snicker every time one of the characters was killed, or badly injured. He supposed that he could suffer through this a little longer if it helped in any small way.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Things feel Worse, Before they get Better</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Irken Empire is a cult - change my mind</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you so so much to the people who commented on the first chapter! It made me so so happy to see the positive feedback, so I hope you will continue to let me know if you are enjoying this fic! I'm working on the next 2 chapters currently, but I'm posting this now so I have something to compulsively check tomorrow at work.</p><p>TRIGGER WARNING - <br/>- Inferiority complex and indoctrination<br/>- This chapter deals with some heavy emotional stuff regarding Zim and gives an idea of the kind of things The Empire puts the irkens through.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The days went by like that for a couple months; Dib returning to Zim's base every morning and leaving every night. He tried to come up with as many things as he could to get Zim to come out of his shell and interact more with him. He'd have to remind Zim to eat and change his uniform every so often, but the little alien seemed to be getting better now he had a kind-of routine again. Sometimes it even seemed like Zim was almost coming back to himself again - almost. He was still much quieter now, more reserved and definitely nowhere near as bigheaded. The Tallests' words had really done a number on his self-esteem and Dib wondered how just two people could really have destroyed an ego as big as Zim's. One afternoon, he'd even managed to get Zim to put on his disguise and the two of them taken Gir for a walk to the local park. Zim mostly sat on the bench the entire time; watching boredly as Gir chased after squirrels, then dogs, and then various human children before Dib finally stopped him. He seemed to enjoy the ice cream the human bought him though.</p><p>The longer it went on, the more Dib realised that no matter what he did, Zim was still looking worse and worse each day. It had started out with him loosing weight and a bit of colour, but the more he focused on it the more he realised. He saw the bags forming under his eyes, despite the fact that the irken slipped in and out of sleep now seemingly uncaring about dropping his defences in front of his old enemy. He saw the way Zim's reaction time to the things around him was slowing down; almost like Zim himself was slowing down. It wasn't just the lack of care and attention span. It was like his body itself was beginning to shut down. There was also the fidgeting. He'd often look over to find Zim staring off into the distance and almost uncontrollably fiddling with his claws, his clothes, even his antennae one time. It scared Dib, but he managed to put up with it for those two months before he finally cracked.</p><p>"Okay... Zim I need you to be honest with me right now." He chewed his lip, putting down the dishcloth he'd just been using to wash up the dishes and cutlery they'd used for Gir's latest waffle-experiment, "Is anything I'm doing for you even really helping?"</p><p>Zim turned to look at him, "Under normal circumstances I would have said yes. Congratulations, your obsessive stalking over the years has made you excellent at irken care, I hope you are happy with that knowledge." He said, in a tired voice. It didn't even sound sarcastic, even if it was supposed to. It just sounded monotonous.</p><p>"Okay, great! Thanks! But I mean is any of this helping YOU? As in right now?" He dropped the rubber gloves into the sink and sat down next to his detached alien co-part, "Like... I'm trying to keep you healthy and shit, and as far as I can tell we're ticking all the boxes here... so why do you look more and more sickly every day?" He found himself getting quieter towards the end of his rambling, and worried his lip as he awaited the answer.</p><p>"Because Zim is dying... As The Tallest wished, Zim's PAK has been disconnected and will slowly die." he stated plainly, as though it were completely obvious and he were simply reading a doctor's diagnosis of mild acne.</p><p>Dib eyed him nervously, "But, your PAK is fine. It's still glowing and everything... I-it's still running." He knew there was more to this, but he needed Zim to explain, "W-what's wrong with it...?"</p><p>At that, Zim snickered bitterly under his breath, "Many many things, Dib-Stink. But in regards to what you are asking about in particular, my PAK is indeed still running... but it is not running as it should be were I not currently experiencing an incredibly slow and vile form of execution." He explained, "My PAK has always supplied me with the nutrients, hormones, chemicals... everything I need to remain fit and healthy. But now, my PAK's connection has been cut and it is left to supply me with the very little it has left. Besides that, the parts of the PAK which keep me alive and stop my life-clock from ticking are also slowly shutting down. Everything within me is slowing, weakening and fading away. Within another..." He paused to think, "Let us say around six months. Within another six months I will be dead." He said it all so coldly, as though he had already accepted it.</p><p>Dib wanted to throw up.</p><p>"So, this entire time th-they... they've been slowly torturing you to death? THAT'S CRUEL!" He found himself shouting.</p><p>Zim looked at him, with an uncaring and almost-clinical look, "The Empire is the source of where all of the components of the PAK originate. It is My Tallest's right to take it away if that is what they wish." he said, in a detached, and completely un-Zim-like, voice.</p><p>Dib shook his head and felt tears begin to run down his cheeks, "N-no! That isn't right!... That's awful..."</p><p>Zim stared at the human and realised he was actually FEELING something watching him snivel and whine. ANGER.</p><p>He suddenly felt very angry. And it was strong.</p><p>He growled, "Quit your whining! Zim is the one who is dying, not Dib! Why should Dib-Stink care anyway?! You've always hated ZIM! Why are you spending these months with Zim, forcing him to eat and continue a life which is no longer useful?!" he snapped, with such ferocity. It had been so long since he'd felt anything other than dejection and emptiness.</p><p>Dib also seemed taken aback as well.</p><p>He wiped the tears from his eyes and nodded,</p><p>"Y-yeah... you're right. About the crying part I mean. Sorry, I guess those are just my pathetic human emotions again, huh?" he sniffled.</p><p>Zim glowered, "Yes... YES, YOUR PATHETIC HUMAN EMOTIONS THAT MAKE YOU NEED TO CARE FOR ZIM LIKE SOME NEWBORN <em>VORTIAN SMEET</em>! CODDLED AND SOFT!" He snapped, before adding in a much quieter yet darker tone, "You should leave Zim be and let him complete the Tallest's wishes with what little honour he has left."</p><p>Dib felt his own anger heat up at that, "SO WHAT?! AFTER ALL THIS TIME YOU JUST WANT ME TO GIVE UP ON YOU?!"</p><p>"Yes!" Came the response, heavy and thick with venom.</p><p>"FUCK YOU, ZIM! YOU'RE LIKE THE CLOSEST THING I HAVE TO A-" He cut himself off, quickly looking away, "Look, I just... You can't ask me to do that, okay? Call it a part of my dumb worm-baby morality if you like, but I am not leaving you to <em>die</em> on your own..." he finished weakly.</p><p>Zim seemed to deflate a little at that too. Now that he was no longer filled with anger he wondered about something. The alien stood, shakily, from the couch and made his way over to the closest elevator down to the base; which happened to be a closet filled with mops and brooms that all promptly fell out when he opened it. He paid them no mind and made his way inside.</p><p>The young man watched him go and got up to follow soon after.</p><p> </p><p>------</p><p> </p><p>Dib found him just in time to hear-</p><p>"COMPUTER! Run PAK Diagnostics!"</p><p>"<em>Ughhh.</em>.. Fiiiiiiine." The deep drawl came in return, "But don't expect me to read them out to you."</p><p>When he got into the main room of the base, he watched as a wire slid down from the ceiling and attached itself to the top port of Zim's PAK, lifting him a few feet off the ground. Dib stood back and watched as a holographic screen popped up in front of them with a bunch of irken letters on it. Some he recognised from years and years of trying to crack the language, but he had no hope of following along as the letters and symbols flashed across the screen.</p><p>"STOP!" Zim raised a hand and moved his finger along a couple lines of text. He reread it a few times just to ensure he had seen what he thought and then he cursed loudly, in what Dib assumed must be Irken. It sounded incredibly guttural and yet, somehow almost like a bird's chirping.</p><p>"What? What is it?" The boy behind him shouted, impatiently. The alien glanced over and shrugged seeing no reason to leave the young investigator out now, especially when he might even actually get a kick out of this. Sighing, he turned around the face Dib,</p><p>"I had hoped it would last quite a bit longer yet, so I did not disgrace myself further with unneeded outbursts... but it appears my emotional inhibitor has been disabled." He explained simply. Dib eyed him and seemed utterly perplexed, typical human.</p><p>"Sorry, Your emotional <strong><em>WHAT</em></strong> has been WHAT?"</p><p>"My emotional inhibitor has been-"</p><p>"Yeah, okay! I heard you, Smartass. But I don't understand what that means." Dib grit his teeth and glared back at him.</p><p>"Must every conversation about my PAK turn into an irken biology lesson with you?" He crossed his arms and looked back at the other.</p><p>Dib tilted his head, "<em>Um</em>... YES, obviously? What do you take me for?"</p><p>Zim shook his head and tilted his head back in clear exasperation, "<em>Tallest help me</em>..." he muttered before looking back to Dib, "It is exactly what it sounds like, you simple-minded ape. An emotional inhibitor is a device within my PAK that is supposed to filter through all of the unnecessary and frankly disgusting emotions which you lesser life forms all seem oh-so eager to embrace. That way there is no need for concern over anything that will distract from the mission." He stated simply.</p><p>"Huh?" Dib gawked at him, open mouthed.</p><p>"Must I repeat everything to you, Dib-Smelly?! I said it is-"</p><p>"<em>No</em>! No! I get it... I just... What the FUCK?! <em>WHY</em>?!" Dib stared at him exasperated.</p><p>Zim cocked an eye-ridge and stared back at him, "Are your ear-holes working today?! I just told you WHY!"</p><p>Dib pinched the bridge of his nose, getting irritated at the argument. How can he even process something like that?!<br/>
The Irken Empire wrote out any emotion that wasn't considered 'useful'?<br/>
Was it just a thing that happened to invaders?</p><p>Did it happen to anyone else as well?</p><p>Did it happen to normal, everyday families on Irk?</p><p>He couldn't even comprehend it.</p><p>Zim had always been somewhat 'emotional' anyway. He thought back on it; every interaction he'd had with Zim that he could think of: Anger was a pretty prevelent one, that one was clear enough and he supposed more often than not pretty useful for a war-mongering race if they wanted to raise an army of Berserker-like warriors; fear, he'd seen Zim afraid before, that he was absolutely certain of and, again, a healthy amount of fear to stop you from making stupid decisions was useful (not that fear ever seemed to stop any of Zim's stupid decisions anyway)... Sadness, he knew Zim could get sad. It was rare, but it happened... He thought about it hard and realised the only times he'd ever seen Zim truly upset were when he'd thought he had failed his leaders, or that one time when Dib had decided to put an end to their rivalry... Joy, the irken seemed to revel whenever something he did went right for once, or whenever he said a particularly biting insult, or was boasting about the Irken race...</p><p>Were there any more?</p><p>Dib shook his head. That was all he could come up with. A number of emotions he could count on a single hand.</p><p>"<em>Woah</em>..." he managed, his back hitting the wall next to them. He slid down it and sighed.</p><p>"The Irken Empire is kinda fucked up..."</p><p>Zim bristled, "EXCUSE ME?! WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!" he grabbed the boy's collar and attempted to pull him up to meet his face, but without any of his old strength that was a pretty daunting task, "YOU DARE INSULT THE GREAT IRKEN EMPIRE, PATHETIC HUMAN-WORM?!"</p><p>Dib looked back at him, challenging him to continue, "Yeah" he spat, "I do."</p><p>Zim seethed, screeching something else that Dib couldn't quite understand. He wasn't sure if it was in English or Irken, but he could tell he's royally pissed off the angry little green nutjob in front of him. Zim looked like he was about to explode.</p><p>"WHY DO YOU EVEN CARE, ZIM?! THEY FUCKING<em> ABANDONED YOU</em>!" He shouted, glaring back at the alien.</p><p>"THEY DID NO-" Zim stopped himself, realising that he was walking right into what Dib wanted from him, he breathed out deeply to calm himself and clenched a fist so hard he felt the tips of his claws pierce his skin, "They have every right to be rid of invaders if it will better the Empire." He finished, eyed shut tight in barey-quelled rage.</p><p>Dib frowned, "Like Hell you actually fucking believe that! I don't give two shits how much of a problem you are for them! YOU DON'T JUST ABANDON SOMEONE TO DIE! IT'S SICK. IT'S MESSED UP! IRK CAN'T JUST TREAT THEIR OWN FUCKING PEOPLE LIKE CANNON FODDER!"</p><p>"YES, DIB! YES, THEY CAN! THEY MUST DO WHAT IS THE BEST FOR THE GOOD OF THE EMPIRE. LONG LIVE THE EMPIRE. LONG LIVE THE TALLE-"</p><p>"SCREW THE EMPIRE! WHAT ABOUT THEIR OWN PEOPLE?! I MEAN, FUCKING CHRIST, I KNEW YOU GUYS INVADED AND CONQUERED PLANETS BUT TO THINK THAT YOUR LEADERS EVEN THINK OF THEIR <em>OWN PEOPLE</em> AS EXPENDABLE TO THAT EXTENT?!"</p><p>"DRONES <em>ARE</em> EXPENDABLE, DIB-BEAST! WE ARE CREATED TO SERVE THE EMPIRE. WE ARE CREATED TO SERVE OUR TALLEST. NOTHING MORE. WE DO NOT WASTE AWAY OUR DAYS LOOKING FOR A PURPOSE IN LIFE LIKE YOU MISERABLE MEAT-HEADS DO! EACH AND EVERY IRKEN IS GIVEN THEIR PURPOSE FROM THE MOMENT THEY ARE HATCHED, AND WE WORK TOWARDS IT UNTIL THE MOMENT WE DIE! WE ARE ALL WORKING TOWARDS BETTERING THE EMPIRE AND NOTHING MORE, WE <strong><em>LIVE</em></strong> FOR THE EMPIRE AND WE DO AS WE ARE CODED TO DO; IF WE ARE CODED AS AN INVADER, WE INVADE; IF WE ARE CODED AS A DOCTOR WE PROVIDE MEDICAL CARE; IF WE ARE CODED AS A TABLE-HEADED DRONE THEN WE ARE A TABLE; IF WE ARE CODED FOR FOOD-SERVICE THEN WE... <em>we</em>..."</p><p>The little alien suddenly realised tears were falling from his eyes now, "We are supposed to... make our Tallest proud... a-and we do not want for anything more. Zim should not want for anything more..." He then collapsed to the floor across from Dib and began to bawl his eyes out, tears falling fast and soaking the front of his crumpled uniform until it was a deep mauve.</p><p>"... I-I do not... not w-want... <em>I do not want to die, Dib</em>..." he managed to get out, before just letting the tears stream freely down his face. It was a look that painted a picture of complete and total despair and loss the likes of which Dib had never seen anyone wear before.</p><p>Dib stared at the irken as he cried, completely shell-shocked and not entirely sure what he was supposed to do in a moment like this. He shuffled over to Zim and very slowly and cautiously wrapped his arms around the tiny frame, pulling him tight against his chest and resting his cheek against Zim's head. He felt an antennae brush against his nose a couple times but forced himself to keep still. The little irken tensed at first, before he gave into the contact, grabbing Dib's shirt and began to sob and wail into him. The boy wondered if Zim hadn't been loosing himself to his emotions right now, would he have been pushed away?</p><p>Probably.</p><p>He also wondered if Zim had ever even been hugged before, and if he maybe should have hesitated a little more before initiating something this intimate with someone who was clearly so touch-starved and lost to a point that even HE couldn't fully relate. The more he wondered about Irken society, going off the things Zim had just screamed at him, the harder the lump in his throat became as he held his broken friend close to him.</p><p>After a long while the violent sobbing and shaking began to die down, eventually Zim was just left sniffling and shivering against Dib's now completely soaked shirt. Dib stood up slowly, petting Zim's head as he did in a way he hoped was comforting and not demeaning. He looked around a little bit before he found what he was looking for: a blanket. Glad he didn't have to attempt to move the emotionally-exhausted alien up in the elevator again he dropped the blanket over Zim and moved to sit back in his spot at the wall, tilting his head up and trying his best to siv through all of the things he'd just learned.</p><p>A few moments later he felt a movement next to him.</p><p>"<em>So</em>... what are you gonna do now then?" He watched as Zim slid down the wall, until he was sat a comfortable distance away from him. Not close, but close enough they could have a friendly chat with each other, if that is what you wanted to call this, "I-I mean... will you continue to insist on coming to Zim's base to force him to eat disgusting Earth foods and watch the bad teevee shows?"</p><p>Dib thought for a moment.</p><p>"Yeah... Probably. I guess, I have nothing better to do right now anyway" He answered, trying to be as nonchalant as he possibly could by dropping his head into one hand and resting it on a knee, looking at the floor in front of the little alien, "I mean... my Dad wants me to go to University next year. He agreed to let me take a sabbatical this time, since I already skipped a year back in high school and all, but I think next year he's really gonna go on at me about studying some sorta 'respectable' and 'scientific' subject" he spieled off barely giving any real thought. Instead, he was contemplating asking Zim if he meant what he said when he'd admitted to not really wanting to die. He decided against it, already feeling like he knew that deep down the stubborn alien didn't really want it all to end like this. Dib couldn't really imagine him going out with anything less than a gigantic explosion that would probably end a few other lives as well.</p><p>"<em>Mmmm</em>..." Zim mused but didn't comment.</p><p>The scythe-headed boy closed his eyes and listened to what few sounds there were in the lab. The computer had powered down into sleep mode again, leaving the place too quiet once more. All except the nervous tap-tap-tapping that Zim provided next to him; one claw hitting the floor at intervals. It was a relatively new habit that Dib had noticed, now able to put it down to the withdrawal Zim was most likely experiencing from the lack of chemicals flowing into him from his PAK. After relying on them for his entire life, Dib was actually a little surprised that the irken wasn't in a much worse state - taking into account the dark rings under his eyes, pallid complexion and increasingly thin physique. Okay, it was bad... but it could have been worse. Dib had seen drug withdrawal... hell, when he'd come off his anti-psychotics a few years ago he'd even experienced it. He hadn't been on them very long, just a year or so that was needed to convince his doctors that he didn't need them anymore after his stint in the "Crazy House for Boys" as his Dad liked to call it. But the withdrawal from those were bad enough that he'd felt sick for weeks with headaches, dizzy spells, mood swings, vomiting...</p><p>He looked over at Zim, watching the nervous tic his friend had picked up. He caught how Zim's eye twitched as he looked back at him and he shuddered slightly.</p><p>"What?" He asked, clearly a little put-out by Dib's obvious gawking.</p><p>"Nothing! <em>Sorry</em>-" He turned away quickly, a blush creeping up his face at being caught.</p><p>"No. What is it?" Zim pressed. He didn't sound angry, but perhaps mildly annoyed. Dib hoped this wouldn't come out wrong,</p><p>"I just... think you're doing pretty well, you know?"</p><p>The tapping stopped.</p><p>"What?" Zim gave him a confused look.</p><p>"I-I mean... with the chemicals... Your body is like really used to a certain amount, and you aren't getting all of them... You're going through a forced detox that isn't quite cold turkey but... it isn't far off, right? I-I mean I know it probably sucks... but I just thought you're doing pretty well... m-maybe irkens just deal with stuff like that better or something, I don't really know..." He trailed off awkwardly, already wishing he hadn't said anything.</p><p>Zim took a moment to consider his words and then snorted, "I'm doing well? Dib-Thing, I am falling apart... my mass is now far below the requirement for a soldier and I can barely get my PAK to respond to any of my commands any more. I do not see how you think I am 'doing well' exactly." He gave the quotations for emphasis and everything, balking at the boy and clearly bemused by his earlier comments.</p><p>"Look... maybe not by irken standards... I don't even know what those would be. But by human standards. By <em>MY</em> standards, you're doing really well."</p><p>Zim scoffed, "There are no irken standards for this, because this kind of thing is never done! Usually, at one's Existence Evaluation if the Control Brains decide an irken is defective or no longer useful, their PAK is simply removed and their coding deleted, along with all files on them within the collective. It is the most efficient way, and protects future generations from the corrupted code."</p><p>Dib looked back to him, "Then why-"</p><p>"Because Zim's PAK was <em>TOO</em> corrupted. Zim's PAK made the Brains insane." He said and then clamped his mouth shut. Dib didn't really quite grasp what he meant by any of that, but he felt it was probably the wrong time to push it...</p><p>They sat in silence a while longer, before Zim finally spoke up again and asked in a quiet voice that Dib still wasn't used to him using,</p><p>"You never told me..."</p><p>"Told you what?" He looked over, confused.</p><p>"Never told me why you didn't take me to your organisation that day."</p><p>"Ah!-" Dib had not really even thought about that, of course Zim wouldn't understand. He didn't even fully understand what was going on between them right now, so how could he expect an alien from another planet to understand the complexities of human interaction and compassion?</p><p>"I just..." He started, then dropped his head sighing, "Look... You've been super honest with me about all of this... So I should do the same. The truth is I've been trying to get into the Swollen Eyeball for years. I mean, yeah I am a part of the Network, but anyone can join up for that... I mean, I've been trying for as long as I can remember now to get into the inner circle - I suppose you'd call them the 'elites' of the organisation. Most people on the Network don't even know about them. I found out from career day back in elementary school. You know? Where they set me up with that really weird guy who was obsessed with a cereal mascot?"</p><p>Zim nodded, then thought a moment, and shook his head, "I remember being forced to relive my days from <em>Foodcourtia</em>, serving lesser beings terrible meat-foods and being much too close to grease for my liking. I remember the grease making my first moult much much worse than it had to be, and I remember Gir screaming something about nachos afterwards."</p><p>Dib gave a halfhearted chuckle and continued, "Yeah well... he's not that important anyways. But he was the one who let it slip... about the inner circle I mean. He'd recently been asked to join them." At that Dib sighed, contemplating his own failings as a paranormal investigator and what it all meant, "The guy was an actual idiot! He didn't believe in any worthwhile theories... Did you know he actually had information about the moult but put it with the fake files? The guy believed CHICKEN-FOOT was real for crying out loud! <em>CHICKEN-FOOT</em>! The crazy guy who got stuck in a COSTUME!"</p><p>Zim watched his companion get more and more riled up the longer he talked about the man he'd wanted so badly to look up to. It was somehow calming seeing Dib get this passionate again about something.</p><p>"Well... after he left I did some digging of my own. Found out about the rest of the circle... There aren't many of them, but enough that I was certain that there had to be some who were serious paranormal investigators! There had to be someone within that group who was... like me, you know?" He cast a glance over to Zim, "Geez, I sent them so many pictures of you... Even ones of you without your disguise, in your ship..."</p><p>"How did you even-" Zim started.</p><p>"It doesn't matter anyway. They wouldn't even give me the time of day. No matter what I sent in, it was identified as a fake. They never believed anything I sent them... I literally sent them the body of the vampire bee that stung me, but they just sent it back!"</p><p>Zim shuddered, "<em>Ugh.</em> BEES..." He shook his head, "Disgusting creatures..."</p><p>Dib couldn't help but snort, "You look like a bug too! I'd have thought you'd find some sorta simil-"</p><p>"<em>Do not compare irkens to bees</em>, Dib-Thing! We are two very <em>VERY</em> different creatures!"</p><p>At that he let out a laugh, relieved to see some of Zim's old spite back even if only for a moment, "Okay, okay... Sorry... Anyway, I became desperate. I wanted to prove to them I was worthy of their little group. So earlier this year, I hacked in. I wanted to see what kinds of things people were hunting down to send in, in order to be accepted..." He looked down, shaking his head and his expression soured at the memory.</p><p>"<em>And</em>?" The alien prompted.</p><p>"And it was TRASH! Recordings of UFOs that were clearly toys on strings... pictures of 'mermaids' that were just fish with lipstick on! One guy even just sent in a bunch of snapshots of his HAMSTERS! ...no context, Zim... Just. HAMSTERS." He seethed as he said the last word and Zim couldn't help a small laugh.</p><p>"So all that time? Your treasured organisation was just a bunch of buffoons?" He felt the laughter bubble to the surface and pretty soon he couldn't contain it, doubling over in a fit of giggles. Dib stared at the sight. Had he ever seen Zim laugh before?</p><p>Like... honest-to-God just <em>actually laugh</em>?</p><p>Not manic cackling, or bitter laughter... but real, actual laughter purely because he found something funny?</p><p>The kind of laughter shared between... friends?</p><p>He felt himself smile and a small chuckle escaped him. Before he knew it he was laughing just as hard, joining Zim on the floor as they both laughed hysterically at the whole story. It wasn't even that funny, even looking from an outside perceptive... he knew it wasn't THAT funny. But they both needed this right now. To laugh and giggle and enjoy a moment or pure, unconstrained joy with each other.</p><p>Once they had calmed down, both taking deep breaths of air and staring up at the mesh of wires that made the ceiling of the base, Dib finally told Zim,</p><p>"I haven't been serious about trying to catch you since then, to be completely honest... I guess I just carried on using it as a threat because I knew it got to you." he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, suddenly a bit embarrassed about it all.</p><p>Zim whipped his head round and stared at him with such offence that he almost lost it again, "NOTHING 'GETS TO' ZIM THAT EASILY!"</p><p>He snorted, "Yeah.. yeah, I know... You totally weren't terrified at the thought of vivisection... or of being holed up in some lab somewhere... kept in a tube forever~" At this he sat up and began to slowly move over Zim, wiggling his fingers and doing his best scary voice.</p><p>"YOU LIE! NOTHING SCARES AN IRKEN SOLDIER, DIB-SMELLY!" He cackled back and pointed a claw up at Dib, finally looking somewhat like his old self again. He knew deep down that Dib hadn't truly been intending to hurt him for some time now, even when he threatened all of those terrible things. Dib would foil whatever plan he had that day, they'd fight for a while... and then go their separate ways. Things had been that way for years now. Right now, Dib was listing all of those threats to him, bringing them back up to the front of his memory. Yes, he had been somewhat disturbed by the little human's fantasies of cutting him open and such, but right now, he somehow instinctively knew he was not in any danger. He just somehow knew inside that it was all in jest. That he was safe.</p><p>That made him feel strange...</p><p>Dib was still bent over Zim, his hands on either side of the other's head, laughing at his own joke. The irken looked at the happy expression on the human's face and felt his squidlyspooch miss a beat. Over all these years... Dib sure had grown tall.<br/>
He knew that ofcourse, he wasn't blind. They'd stayed around the same height up until the beginning of high school, when Dib suddenly had a massive growth spurt over a year, leaving him towering over Zim ever since. Zim had grown a little bit since his time arriving on Earth, it was incredibly slow but the lesser gravity of the Earth had allowed him to reach another ten inches taller than he had been when he first landed. Something which he was actually incredibly proud of, up until Dib had surpassed him. Since then, Dib had continued to grow until he hit this point - making him just as tall as his father, Professor Membrane.</p><p> </p><p>The professor had always intimidated Zim, with his stature and booming voice. He would never admit it to Dib, but the man held himself somewhat like an elite Irken Taller would - with pride, posture and elegance. It made him unable to ignore the man, and unfortunately forced him to respect the professor. He would definitely never admit that Clembrane's secondary purpose, aside from grounding Dib forever, was also to de-mystify the man somewhat for Zim.</p><p>Dib was different than that... he had none of those things, beyond the height. But Zim still found himself hanging to his every word whenever he noticed that particular feature about the boy. Right now he looked at the man above him, felt himself heating up but unable to take his eyes away. Something about this scared him but he didn't know what.</p><p>"Uhh... Zim?" Dib was staring down at him, an eyebrow cocked and his expression amused but ever so slightly concerned. Zim pushed him off, and sat up. He busied himself straightening out his uniform, not yet ready to meet the other's eyes for some reason who couldn't really fathom.</p><p>"Just got lost in thought for a moment, Dib-Stink." He responded, feeling much better when the other rolled his eyes at the response.</p><p>"Oh yeah... about what?"</p><p>Zim pondered for a moment, before asking again,</p><p>"So... you still do not know what you want to do? Now that your Swollen Eyeballs have proven to be a collective of imbeciles?"</p><p>It was Dib's turn to look away.</p><p>"<em>Uh</em>.. yeah... I mean, there are no other big paranormal groups I know of. So, what am I supposed to do now? Go into "Real Science" like my Dad wants?" He grumbled, looking dejected.</p><p>Zim raised an eyebrow, confused by the boy's response.</p><p>"The answer is obvious, human."</p><p>"Oh really? Tell me then, <em>Mighty</em> Zim... What might that obvious answer be?" He asked, with sarcasm dripping from every word, punctuated by years and years of dejection and hurt pride.</p><p>"It is simple... The Dib does not need The Swollen Eyeballs to hunt the creepy things; the ghosties and the bigfeets. Dib-Smelly has always done a perfectly reasonable job of that all by himself. So why is it different now?"</p><p>Dib looked up at him wide eyed, "<em>W-what</em>? You mean like... go into business by myself?"</p><p>Zim shrugged, "Why not? You have the money... Your family is rich. I do not understand why you ever thought you NEEDED those dummies in your computer to begin with." He finished, folding his arms across his chest and looking quite pleased with his deduction.</p><p>The young man stared at him for a moment, as though his brain had imploded. Then, a large grin spread across his face.</p><p>"Holy shit... Zim, you're <em>right</em>!" He felt himself begin to laugh again and Zim nodded, "I don't need those idiots! I've hunted you by myself for years and stopped you at every turn! I can do this, no problem!" A light that Zim hadn't realised Dib had been missing within his eyes for a long long time now began to return.</p><p>"Yes... <em>Yes, you have Stinky</em>..." Zim responded, wanting to be irritated by the fact the boy had just brought up all his failings at his own dream, but finding in that moment that he just couldn't bring himself to care when he saw the look of joy on the human's face. He simply shook his head and couldn't help a small smile of endearment escape.</p><p>Dib turned to him then, grinning from ear to ear, "We could do it together! You should join me!"</p><p>Zim stopped, staring at him in utter shock.</p><p>"... In case you've forgotten, Dib-<em>SHIT</em>... I do not have an incredibly long amount of time left on this pitiful ball of dirt. Besides, I am a walking <em>disaster</em>... a cause of destruction to any<em>one</em> and every<em>thing</em> around me!" He looked down, feeling the earlier depression grip him once more,<br/>
"Why would you ever want me there with you?"</p><p>The paranormal investigator moved so he was kneeling in front of Zim, taking one gloved hand in his own, "Zim... You've been the closest thing I've had to a... <em>a friend</em> for the longest I can remember. There's no one else I'd rather have with me doing this. And besides, between the two of us I'm sure we can find a way to save you."</p><p>Zim looked up at him, dejectedly.</p><p>He didn't have the fight left in him anymore, truly. But something inside of him stirred at the word '<em>save'</em>. He hadn't even given it a thought until then. He had simply just accepted the fate the Tallest had bestowed him; resigning himself to his slow and sad death in this lonely little corner of space. What Dib was offering him now had honestly never even crossed his mind...</p><p>He forced a small smile, knowing full well it probably didn't look at all convincing, but he felt he might as well humour the idiot.</p><p>"Sure. Why not? Let us hunt the ghostlings together then."</p><p> </p><p>-------</p><p> </p><p>They got to work brain-storming after that day.</p><p>Or rather, Dib got to work brainstorming whilst Zim seemed to bungee-jump between utter despair, angry shouting and then wild desperation. It was exhausting watching the other spiral through all his new emotions; feeling everything to the absolute extreme and then falling unconscious when it finally became too much. Dib had panicked the first time that Zim collapsed on him after throwing all of their notes and scribblings to the floor in the base's kitchen and screaming at him. He'd been terrified that maybe all of the excessive working had drained those remaining six-or-so months his alien counterpart had estimated, but luckily Zim had woken up to Dib shaking him none-too-gently about ten minutes later and slapped the boy off of him (it hadn't particularly hurt anything other than Dib's pride since Zim was still getting weaker as each day went past).</p><p>"Stupid Dib-Stink... Zim's biological body is merely compensating for all of the energy he is loosing." He'd stated, as though it should have been completely exhausted.</p><p>"B-but, you always told me irkens don't sleep!" He'd snapped back.</p><p>Zim had just rolled his eyes and given him a look of exasperation, "Yes well, we do not. Our PAKs provide all the energy we need in the form of stimulants. On the few occasions that does not suffice we can activate a form of... "sleep-cycle"... similar to that of a computer!" He'd explained, "It is not at all like what you pathetic humans call "sleeping"! Our PAK remains aware of all changes in the external environment and will awake us if any threats become present!"</p><p>Dib eyed him, "<em>So</em>... Your PAK just shut your brain down so it could recharge just now?" He summarised.</p><p>The little alien looked away, violet creeping into his cheeks, "That is-<em>no</em>... not exactly. Zim's PAK it seems is no longer able to do that. My biological body was trying to... compensate, I suppose... but activating a sleep-cycle, regardless."</p><p>The investigator had smirked, a knowing look barely hidden behind his glasses, "So, What you're saying is that..." He started, wiggling an eyebrow and moving around the table to catch Zim's gaze, "You fell asleep."</p><p>Zim turned almost the colour of a plum and erupted, "NO! NO THAT IS NOT WHAT ZIM WAS DOING! AN IRKEN SOLDIER DOES NOT <em>SLEEP</em>! ESPECIALLY NOT ON AN ENEMY PLANET AMONGST THE <em>NATIVES</em>! TH-THAT WOULD BE INCREDIBLY STUPID AND DANGEROUS!" He'd screeched. It hurt his ears, but Dib couldn't help but laugh at the look of utter embarrassment that had taken over the aliens face as he was forced to realise he had indeed fallen asleep. He'd fallen asleep right next to his ex-nemesis.</p><p>Since then, Zim had begrudgingly accepted his newfound need to sleep. It had started out as him working himself to total exhaustion before his head just fell forward wherever he was. Those times, he would usually wake up a few minutes-to an hour later at most. After a while of this Dib had eventually decided enough was enough and confronted him about it,<br/>
"OH MY GOD, ZIM! WOULD YOU PLEASE JUST GO AND GET SOME SLEEP?!"</p><p>Zim was shaken awake from his head lulling towards the table when he was just about to pass out. His antennae jumping up immediately at the sound as he shot up in the kitchen chair, his back going instantly rigid and claws ripping the fabric of the seat beneath him.</p><p>"W-what...? ZIM HAS BEEN DOING THE HORRID "SLEEPING", PIG-SMELLY!" He glared back, to which Dib had grit his teeth and moved one hand up to grab at his hair in exasperation.</p><p>"I mean like, ACTUAL sleep, Zim! GO TO BED! O-or... Go sleep on the couch, or something! You probably don't have an actual bed..." He'd shaken his head, "Look! I will move into the other room and watch over you if you need me to, but you need to get some actual, real rest or you're going to burn out even faster! Besides, you clearly can't focus on helping me with this if you can't even keep your eyes open!"</p><p>Zim had opened his mouth to argue, but the look on Dib's face stopped him. Too tired to argue, he'd stalked his way over to the couch and slumped down.</p><p>"Zim does not need the Dib to watch him like some maternal female watches a new-born <em>smeet</em>..." He'd grumbled under his breath.</p><p>Dib had just shaken his head and gone back to his work. The next time he'd looked up Zim was fast asleep on the couch. He got up, found a blanket and draped it over the smaller boy. The nap didn't last as long as he had hoped, Zim was awake again about three hours later, but it had been a start. Since then Zim had actually taken his advice and started to get a decent amount of sleep every night, as well as napping through the day. The black-haired boy could almost say it even seemed as though Zim had begun to actually enjoy sleeping; he'd noticed that Zim would actively start to curl into the blankets and pillows on the couch whenever he felt relaxed enough during a movie, allowing himself to be soothed by the gentle pull of tiredness.</p><p>Today though, Zim had been wide awake and ready to start when he'd gotten to the base that morning. He wouldn't exactly call the little irken "bright-eyed and bushy-tailed" since Zim still seemed to not REALLY be allowing himself more than the tiniest amount of hope that they could actually do this. Dib had lost count of the amount of times he had heard the spiel about how advanced and superior PAK technology was, and how they had no hope of doing anything to it without any access to the proper materials and tools needed to work with his.</p><p>Dib's eyes bored into the paper in front of him. It listed a bunch of theories and ideas he had about how Zim's PAK worked and how they could possibly fixed it - just like the rest of the stacks of papers. He screwed it up and threw it at the irken sat on top of the kitchen table across from him. Currently, Zim's latest mood swing had sent him into a rant about how truly hopeless all of this really was and how they had no real chance at finding a supplement for the power the Control Brains gave - nor should they really even be attempting to. He stopped when the paper hit him, looking confused for a moment like he'd even forgotten Dib was there in the room with him.</p><p>"You know... This might go a lot more smoothly if you would actually just agree to tell me how that thing even WORKS!" Dib had spat out tiredly, "I'm not about to give up on you, but I'm really struggling here without any specifics!"</p><p>Zim had stared at him for a solid two minutes. The investigator had actually started to worry he might have broken the dumbass, before he screamed,</p><p>"ARE YOU <em>INSANE</em>?! YOU EXPECT ME TO GIVE AWAY ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT AND WELL-KEPT SECRETS OF MY RACE?!" He'd raged, jumping up so he stood at his full height on the table, still only reaching about a head and a half over Dib even whilst the boy was seated.</p><p>"I expect you to give me any information you know in order to save you, moron." He'd stated easily.</p><p>"IT WOULD BE TREASON! IT WOULD BE BETRAYAL! TO GIVE AWAY THE IRKEN EMPIRE'S ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY... OUR VERY WAY OF LIFE AND CREATION, AWAY TO ANY OTHER PITIFUL LIFE FORM - LET ALONE A... <em>A HUMAN WORM</em>!" He'd continued.</p><p>Dib wanted to get annoyed. He felt himself wanting to join in on the screaming and shouting, until they both had it all out of their systems, but that would just be wasting valuable time. If he continued to loose it every time Zim insulted his race, he really would give himself an aneurysm one of these days. The young man picked up the soda cup in front of him on the table before the angry space bean managed to shake the table enough to knock it off. He took a sip from the paper straw and watched Zim calmly, waiting for his words to actually sink in and for the alien to simmer down.</p><p>"So? You're already being executed for all your other crimes... Why would one more matter at this point?" He'd said, trying to remain as casual as he could whilst talking about his best friend's untimely death that was, as of yet and until Zim would get his head out of the Empire's over-entitled ass, creeping closer and closer with every passing day. Dib really didn't want to show the little idiot how terrified he really was right now.</p><p>There's a time limit here, Zim. Come on.</p><p>"THAT IS DIFFERENT!" He'd started before fizzling out, "IT IS... it is... <em>um</em>..."</p><p>He couldn't meet the young man's intense stare in that moment, choosing to look away awkwardly and bringing one clawed hand to rub self-consciously against the rubbery-leather of his other glove.</p><p>"That would mean PURPOSEFULLY betraying the Empire, Dib..." He said lamely, "A-all the other times were mistakes and... um... accidents. If Zim was to share the information you are asking of him, it would mean purposeful betrayal... and giving YOU, Dib, access to knowledge that no one outside of the Irken race knows is not as easy as you make it sound..."</p><p>The paranormal investigator had contemplated the words for a while, before his eyes lit up with a new idea. He had no idea if it could even be done, and going by Zim's track record with stuff like this it might be even more of a long-shot, but he was fully braced for the other to laugh in his face, simply leaing back in the chair, before responding,</p><p>"Okay... then how about you change it just enough that it won't be the same?"</p><p>"<em>HUH</em>?!" The large magenta orbs shot up to stare at him, clearly not even fully comprehending what he was suggesting.</p><p>"I mean... How about we just take the Irken Empire's PAK design as... as 'inspiration'? Design you something completely new?" He shrugged, "It might not be as high-tech but aslong as it keeps you alive why does it really matter? You don't even have to share any of the technology with me, I can just help with the schematics and design. The parts of it that connect to you and keep your... <em>uh</em>... squiddlyschooch pumping... that can all be your job."</p><p>Zim just stared back at him completely dumb-founded.</p><p>He stood on the table still, all previous emotional outbursts completely forgotten as he just... stopped.</p><p>Dib waved an arm in front of his eyes, biting his lip, "<em>Um</em>, Earth to Zim? Okay... Forget it... Clearly, it was just a <em>dumb</em> idea from an even <em>dumber</em> human. We can go back to-"</p><p>He was interrupted before he could finish his awkwardly worded apology for suggesting something so utterly stupid.</p><p>"It... <em>might actually work</em>."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Trip to Membrane Labs</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The boys finally have a plan and Prof Membrane is still a terrible parent but he gains an adorable new fan.</p><p>Edit: I was rewatching the whole show with my bf and realised PEG was a lot bigger than I remembered so I've added a few bits in to keep it a little more inline with canon.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Zim now had something to focus his pent up energy on, allowing him to forget about all his emotional turmoil for a while. He began by sorting through all the scrap and junk left in the storerooms of his base from old schemes and experiments, occasionally finding some old <em>Doomsday</em> devices to rip parts off of as well. He scrawled away on papers, brought up blueprints on holographic screens. He got so invested he actually forgot all about his hesitation to share any of the well-guarded PAK secrets with Dib, allowing bits and pieces to slip past his ramblings whilst the human was present. He even found that once the boy was past the sheer impossibility of it all by Earth's scientific understanding, he actually managed to bounce back with a few of his own ideas now and then for how they could make the damn thing work without access to the proper materials usually needed.</p><p>"...You don't still have that pathetic excuse for a Voot cruiser in your house-box do you, Dib-Thing?" He asked, whilst rooting through a pile of wires and screws underneath the computer's main console; Gir had constructed them into something of a bird's next and hidden chocolate eggs inside last Easter. He tossed one of the eggs over to Dib and began unwrapping another for himself, letting a piece melt in his mouth whilst he worked on untangling too particularly finicky wires.</p><p>"You mean Tak's ship? a-and my Dad's garage" Dib caught the foil-covered treat and pocketed it for later, "Nah... Gaz crashed it during the whole Florpus incident. We managed to salvage some bits and pieces but a lot of it fell into those big cracks that appeared in the Earth." He finished, scuffing a boot against the floor, still kinda bummed out about loosing an entire alien ship.</p><p>"That is most certainly a shame... There would have been many, admittedly, useful components we may have used. But you say you saved a few pieces, yes? Then there may still be a chance..." He pondered.</p><p>"What?" Dib cast a look over to him, "Was there something specific you were thinking of?"</p><p>"Hmm..." Zim hummed, "I need a core still for this new PAK. Ships are always installed with a source of power and heat to keep the engines running... Think of it like a solar panel... one that doesn't need to gather it's energy from an external source, but instead generates it purely by itself." He explained as best as he could, uncertain if the human would be able to follow him or if this was another thing their race had not yet found access to. Self-replicating energy was admittedly a pretty powerful thing, surely if humans did have access to it then-</p><p>"Wait... You mean like a Perpetual Energy Generator...?" Dib interrupted him.</p><p>He blinked, surprised and stared over at the boy, "Um... yes. That is exactly what I was describing... Without the power from the Brain's own cores being sent out to my PAK I will surely-" He stopped, suddenly realising what the boy was getting at and almost wanted to kick himself for not realising it himself. He grinned back up at the boy, suddenly too happy and grateful for words.</p><p>"Of course..." He breathed out, not even realising the words had left his lips.</p><p>"PEG!" They both shouted at each other simultaneously.</p><p> </p><p>------</p><p> </p><p>The drive over to Membrane Labs in Dib's car was strange.</p><p>Zim looked out of the window, through his purple contact lenses, and stared at the streets before him. It was bright outside. Brighter than he'd ever really taken note of before. The wind blew through the air lifting the fresh leaves hanging from the branches of the trees in the park they passed by. Even the concrete buildings looked more colourful in the springtime sun, and it was a stark contrast to what Zim remembered from Irk. He crumpled his nose up and stared out at the buildings, knowing that they were never really survive against the elements as long as the magnificent structures he longed for in his memory. The majestic towers and structures that covered each and every section of Irk's surface were a true testament to the Empire's growth as a well-oiled machine; every intricate little part of the planet had it purpose.</p><p>Earth was very different and even after all this time he still did not really understand it.</p><p>Houses could be crushed together, or far apart depending on where they were. Some were piled on top of each other, whilst others took up vast amounts of space all on their own, and buildings were vastly different even within the same country and the whole thing was haphazardly patched together by smatterings of dirt and grass with trees sprouting out from it. The space was truly wasted. If the Irken race did ever desire to use this planet he had no doubt that they would most likely just tear everything up, drain it's horrid oceans and rivers, and turn the entire planet into a fuel resource or hollow it out for snack storage as Tak had wanted to do.</p><p>The Earth had no cohesion. It was messy and chaotic and loud.</p><p>That was why he hated it.</p><p>Everything on the Earth had a different colour, a different look, different function than what he expected. It was exhausting trying to constantly act as though he understood it - which he most definitely SHOULD after all this time. If Dib ever found out exactly how much so many things about Earth confused him to no end, he was certain he would never live it down. Luckily, he was an excellent actor.</p><p>Dib was never under any kind of denial about exactly how alien Zim was though. He knew Zim had never really gotten used to everything he experienced on Earth and watched out of the corner of his eye as the little guy stared out of the window with wide eyes, following whatever caught his interest until it was past the car's line of sight, then immediately moving onto something else note-worthy of his interest. This behaviour had picked up more as they got further away from the centre of town itself and towards his father's workplace.</p><p>The paranormal investigator braced himself mentally, knowing this was most definitely going to be a trying afternoon for his patience. Over the years of dealing with Zim's antics, his peer's bullying and his father's relentless pursuit of getting him interested in "Real Science" he had gained an immense amount of patience. It was probably his main weapon against Zim's almost-all-encompassing depression as of late. He swallowed, going through the plan in his head:</p><p>His job was to distract his Dad. They'd get inside the lab with the excuse of Zim wanting to write a report on the Perpetual Energy Generator to get into University; a purely theoretical report that still required him to study the machine for a few hours. No doubt, the Professor may want to hang around, his own ego probably wanting to answer any and all question his son's "little green foreign friend" asked of him. They couldn't have that, so Dib would need to pull him away with some sort of excuse - this was the part that he dreaded, because he knew there was only one thing that could get his father distracted enough to forget about the possibility of teaching an eager mind about his scientific prowess: Dib's own future.</p><p>The boy bit his lip, focusing on the road in front of him as he thought. It didn't matter. He'd realised a long time ago that he could never be happy doing what his Dad wanted him to; and his Dad would never be happy with him pursuing his own interests in the paranormal. But, they had a plan now. They just had to fix Zim first and the the two of them could work on the rest together - hunting cryptids and mythical beasts; forgetting about closed-minded scientists and evil, alien dictators.</p><p>Once he had his Dad distracted, Zim would sneak into open up the machine and look around for... whatever it was he needed. Dib wasn't entirely certain, and he was't sure he could even focus on that part if Zim did explain it to him. He was too caught up in his own part of their mission. The young man glanced over quickly at the alien beside him, before turning his eyes back to the road quickly. Zim was thin. He still had grey bags under his eyes, despite the exceedingly-longer hours he was spending sleeping lately. He was getting more and more fidgety lately and there were times where he seemed unable to stop himself from shaking. The investigator just hoped the irken knew what he was doing, despite his new limitations. They pulled up in front of the laboratories and the young man got out of the car, almost forgetting to lock it once Zim jumped out after him.</p><p>Making their way over to the front entrance, the two were un-surprised when a prim-looking young woman came over to great them. She had thin brown hair pulled into a tight bun and wore a smart, white suit-jacket with a lilac blouse and matching lilac pencil skirt. The logo of his father's business was emblazoned on the side of her blazer. She made her way over to them with an air of arrogant confidence.</p><p>"I am sorry, but we are not currently open to visitors at Membrane Labs... If you wish to speak to any of the scientists for any reason; be it as a journalist, fan or fellow science enthusiast please use the email addresses given on our website" She gave the spiel as though it had been imprinted in her brain, it was so well-rehearsed.</p><p>In response, Dib just flashed her his passport ID.</p><p>Her eyes widened, "Oh! I'm t-terribly sorry, Mr Membrane! I did not recognise you! O-of course... I take it you are here to see <em>The</em> Professor Membrane then?" She quickly, and nervously sputtered out.</p><p>"Don't worry about it...um, <em>Karrie</em>." He glanced at her name badge quickly, giving a friendly and (he hoped) smooth smile, "I haven't been here in quite a while, and I never make appearances with my father so I wouldn't expect you to recognise me."</p><p>He had no idea if he had met this woman or not before now; Membrane Labs always had a pretty high-turnover rate since the "Great Professor" would just sack anyone who didn't meet his expectations, however there were those that managed to stick around. He'd never really bothered to remember any of their names though.</p><p>"Ah... Yes, well... You still have my sincerest apologies." She blushed slightly and seemed to smile back, building a little more confidence back up when he smiled disarmingly at her, "The Professor has said he is not to be disturbed... but... I shall see what I can do. Surely, he will make time for his son, after all!" She nodded, seemingly convincing herself to page the boss without needing any further persuasion.</p><p>Zim eyed Dib as he talked with the human female. He didn't quite recognise the look that she gave the boy in return, but he could smell the pheromones she emitted when her face reddened. He snorted quietly at how ridiculously easy it had been. All Dib had needed to do was give his identity and flash an, unbelievably-fake, smile - and they were in. Zim wasn't exactly an expert on human facial expressions, but he knew Dib well enough and he had never ever seen him make a face like that before...</p><p>He subconsciously pouted. That look didn't suit his human at all.</p><p>They were lead into a waiting room and soon greeted by the loud, booming presence that is Professor Membrane. The man swung the door open, almost hitting the secretary who was just about to go through, and dramatically strode into the room,</p><p>"AH, MY SON! How WONDERFUL it is to see you and your little green friend here! Come to see what your old man had been up to?? WELL I SHALL BE SURE TO ASTOUND AND AMAZE YOUR TWO YOUNG MINDS WITH MY <em>SCIENTIFIC BRILLIANCE</em>!" He then proceeded to erupt into a fit of boastful laughter.</p><p>The boy and the alien waited patiently for the man to finish his spiel before Dib spoke up,</p><p>"Actually Dad, you aren't too far off there!" The boy started off, glad that his father apparently hadn't taken note of the fact that Dib had not set foot in the labs for years at that point and had given no indication the last time they saw each other that he even had any remote interest in the place, "Zim needs to write a report to get accepted in to a <em>super prestigious</em> university! I-I told him that you would have plenty of things here that would be just perfect!"</p><p>The older man listened and then hummed before nodding, "I see, I see! Well that is indeed true, Son! But I'm afraid I cannot reveal current projects to someone outside of the-"</p><p>"Actually... I was hoping to write a report on your work around perpetual energy production. I am specifically interested in your machine, The PEG." Zim cut in smoothly.</p><p>The scientist brought a gloved hand up to his collar and pondered for a moment, "That is a difficult request... You see Zim, I am afraid that particular project was a huge failure. It is a bit of a sore subject for me, but I have had to come to the realisation that a Perpetual Energy Generator, <em>or PEG</em>, simply just isn't a viable option to be seriously put into use. That day when I was about to unveil the machine we were all unbelievably lucky, in fact. If my offspring <em>had</em> indeed chosen to join me on stage and all had gone to plan... Well, it is rather embarrassing but there were a <em>few miscalculations</em>. The machine most definitely would have exploded and taken the county, if not the entire <em>country</em>, along with it."</p><p>The human boy and alien looked at each other with wide eyes. This was the first either had heard about this and it really put their whole ordeal with the Dib-Robot and foiling of that particular evil scheme into a whole new light. Zim turned back to the Professor.</p><p>"It is a purely <em>theoretical</em> paper." He explained.</p><p>"Even so... Must you really write about one of my biggest failures, Young Zim?" The man seemed uncomfortable.</p><p>"Oh, but Dad- um... PEG might not really work... b-but it was still an insanely cool idea! R-really, I'm sure if Zim looked into it we'd probably find out that those miscalculations were <em>really</em> down to one of the other scientists working under you at the time, right?" Dib quickly spoke up.</p><p>The alien glanced at him and instantly caught on to what the boy was doing, "O-of course, The Dib is correct! I have seen much of your work, Professor! You are indeed an anomaly amongst the rest of these... um, of US inferior human specimens who lack your incredible intellect! YES, YES, INDEED THE PROFESSOR MEMBRANE IS A <em>TRUE</em> GENIUS WITH NO COMPARISON!" He wanted to vomit from licking the man's ego so much, but needs must...</p><p>"What? Why, Zim! I HAD NO IDEA YOU WERE SUCH A FAN OF MY AMAZING WORK!" The Professor, moved by the praise, immediately swept Zim up and held him up to meet his level. His hands easily ran right around the little alien's petite form, forcefully pinning the spindly arms to his sides.</p><p>The irken yelped with surprise and his body went rigidly stiff. A few seconds later, when he could actually register anything beyond just shock and horror, he was suddenly very grateful that his PAK had chosen now to be one of those times to not obey him. If it had actually been fully functional he was absolutely certain that the taller man would be pinned to the wall and possibly suffering some horrific wounds in that moment. However, it was also true that if his PAK were not broken they wouldn't be in this situation to begin with, so he supposed it evened out somewhat. He swallowed, urging himself not to gag on the words he had to force out next,</p><p>"Y-yes... Zim is indeed a big fan."</p><p>Dib was not even sure what he felt when he watched the whole thing unfold before him. He winced at Zim's surprised squawk when the little alien was unceremoniously lifted up from the floor and held in a vice-like grip as his father tried, horribly, to convey his happiness to his new "fan". It was kinda funny, but he also felt even more annoyed towards the man in that moment and wasn't particularly sure why. He was relieved when the Professor put Zim down a couple moments later.</p><p>"So... You'll let us see PEG then, Dad?" Dib wanted things to proceed quicker again, so that they could move past the whole ordeal.</p><p>He didn't like the way that immediately after his feet were back on the ground Zim remained stood perfectly at attention, staring up at his father with attentive eyes.</p><p>The young investigator moved to grab the alien's arm but was brushed off when the door opened and the two of them were ushered through by the boastful scientist. He grumbled, but was thankful that they were indeed moving forward with the plan once more. The Professor lead them through winding corridors and rooms, eventually into a room marked "Storage of Volatile Experiments", and stopped as the lights came on. A dismantled PEG sat at the centre of the room, still dwarfing all the various other machines and abandoned projects lying strewn around.</p><p>"Here we are, Boys! The Perpetual Energy Generator! or PEG, for short! Of course, she isn't activated currently so there is no real concern of being this close without any protective field active around her. I had her taken apart immediately after I had the correct calculations and realised just how dangerous this whole thing really was." Professor Membrane said, an arm stretched out and gesturing dramatically at the machine, all previous embarrassment forgotten, "Ask me anything, Zim! I shall answer all your questions!"</p><p>Dib and Zim looked to each other; concerned and both trying to come up with some kind of way to get the Professor out of the room and away from what Zim intended to do with his machine.</p><p>"Oh... Um, actually... for the first part of the report Zim hoped to study the machine in further detail. Zim would rather do that first, since it might actually give him more questions to ask!" The alien managed to babble out. Dib quickly nodded in agreement, taking his father's arm.</p><p>"H-hey, how about you take me on a bit of a tour? You could tell me about all the cool stuff you're working on currently!" He said, pulling his father back towards the door. If his twelve-year old self could see him now, he'd be horrified to see him trying to distract his father and leaving one of his most dangerous inventions ever in the hands of his most-hated enemy.</p><p>"Well, I suppose that would be fine. But, please do not touch anything Zim! PEG is currently deactivated so perfectly safe... the same can't be said for all the other experiments in here, however." He explained, giving a quick and sheepish shrug, before allowing his son to pull him out the door. It swung shut behind them, and the alien quickly got to work dismantling the front panel of the machine with the mini-laser gun he'd kept in his boot.</p><p> </p><p>-----</p><p> </p><p>Zim looked around him as he shut the panel, glancing around to see if he could spot any indication that the Professor's creation was being monitored this deep within it's gigantic core. He saw nothing, the inner workings of the machine looking completely empty besides the grated panelling providing a spire that would allow the energy to travel through; thankfully shut down just as he had said.</p><p>He gulped, fully aware that had the machine been turned on this would have been instant death. He was blindly and desperately jumping out into the void and hoping that something caught him. The irken had to crouch in order to proceed, and then eventually he was down to a military-crawl as he made his way further up the spire, grunting with effort. He would have used his PAK legs, but the tight space and the fact that he knew he would need all of his control and energy later once he reached his goal, stopped him. Crawling through the dark, vent-like system, he felt himself getting warmer and warmer. It could have been the residual energy still given off by the core of the machine, or it could have been his own constricting dread and worry about what would happen should this fail. If the human hadn't managed to create true and pure energy like he hoped. If Dib's father got tired of his son's chatter and made him leave the labs, leaving Zim locked inside the machine to slowly dehydrate and suffer. If, even if he got what he was looking for, it turned out to not be compatible with what he had in mind...</p><p>He shook his head and tried his hardest to focus on the job at hand; crawling through a tunnel on his arms and belly like some sort of wriggling, writhing caterpillar trying desperately to escape it's cocoon.</p><p>The closer he got to the top of the spire (which was only actually about two metres up, but with such little room to work with and such a volatile substance Zim's journey was slow and tense), he noticed the sides of the walls began to shone with an eerie blue light. He allowed himself a short sigh, relief flooding though him just to ease some of those worries. It was indeed what he had hoped it would be.</p><p>He reached the peak of the inner workings of PEG and saw it: the chunk of hardened mineral that shone brightly. It was almost hard to look at, but at the same time to beautiful to look away from. Zim had seen this before; he had known of this anomaly ever since he was a scientist on Vort. The truest form of energy. Pure and un-corrupted by other matter. The crystallised form of energy itself. He had heard particularly superstitious Vortians refer to it as "<em>The Tears of the Universe</em>".</p><p>Zim had scoffed at the nickname when he first heard it. But, seeing it now, without his emotional inhibitor preventing him from admiring it's beauty and almost-magic glow, he almost found himself agreeing with that description. It was indeed the very thing the Universe was made from; it's base material, the Ether that made up the atoms and molecules and everything else you could ever think of.</p><p>
  <em>Stardust. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>            Life. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>                        Death. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>       Creation. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>                              Destruction.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>He let out a shaky breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding and shook the thoughts off.</p><p>Now was not the time to be taken in by such unnecessary pretty thoughts.</p><p>He pulled himself a little bit further over the edge of the shaft he was flattened against, just enough so that he could allow the first section of a single PAK leg enough room to slip out and he shifted his body awkwardly to remove it. He was careful to make sure that he didn't accidentally brush against the mineral, painfully aware that if he was to touch it even slightly in anything other than a very, painstakingly-specific way, that the resulting surge would kill him instantly, and he would be left within the confines of this metal tomb forever.</p><p>Willing the very tip of his mechanical appendage over towards the crystal he searched; scouring the surface of it until he found what he was looking for - a crack. Tiny enough that untrained and uncaring eyes would miss it, but to someone who had worked with the substance before it was a perfect sight that allowed for the possibilities to create something truly astounding. He had no doubt the Professor could not really understand what he held in his possession here - if he did then he would never allow for it to sit here, unused and forgotten. Zim briefly mulled over the idea of constructing a facility that he could use to safely extract more of the substance for future experiments; the Professor clearly wouldn't miss it, but he shook the thought away. He had nothing he would need this kind of undiluted energy for besides one very important project that Dib was busy distracting his father for the sake of. He could not afford to be getting greedy.</p><p>His PAK leg began to shake with the strain of prolonged control and he cursed quietly. Training over a millennia to keep his control over his mechanical limbs completely perfect meant nothing to his weakening body. It was now or never.</p><p>Nervously, he reached out and hit the tiny crack with the tip of his PAK leg.</p><p><em>Once</em>... <em>t</em><em>wice</em>...</p><p>
  <em>He could see a tiny shard coming away.</em>
</p><p>Holding out a gloved hand he tried to keep his hand steady as he moved a glass tube beneath it to catch it before it fell to the floor and ended his life before he'd even get a chance to try again. His was sweating and his glove felt slick against his skin and the glass; it burned slightly as he held it out closer towards the steadily-pulsating glow.</p><p>One shot at this. <em>One more tap.</em></p><p>His breath caught in his throat as his hand shook uncontrollably at the same time his PAK leg struck a <em>little</em> harder than he intended.</p><p>
  <em>The shard fell.</em>
</p><p>He threw himself forward, figurative heart leaping into his throat.</p><p> </p><p>-----</p><p> </p><p>Dib listened to his father drone on. He walked him through the labs boasting about the great things they were doing for the world and the many accomplishments of "Real Science". It wasn't that the paranormal investigator wasn't impressed by it all, certainly all of these things were incredible and his father was leading humanity into a far greater future, but it was just that he had heard it all before. All of his life, in fact. The young man was no stranger to his father's vast history of achievements and advancements that bettered the lives of a great many people. He really didn't want to say it bored him by now, but in truth it did.</p><p>Still, it was a far sight better than what Dib had thought he was about to get a lecture about.</p><p>"And with a mind as great as yours, Son, I know that in the years to come Membrane Labs will continue to flourish!"</p><p>And, there it was...</p><p>Dib sighed defeated and forced a smile, "Um... Y-yeah, Dad... But I still got a lot of things I-"</p><p>"Oh Son, don't be silly! You've already taken almost an entire year out to get all of that ridiculous pseudo-science out your system! This coming year, you shall go to Harvard and study up on <em>REAL SCIENCE</em>! No doubt, since you have already taken this year off it will mean working extra hard to make up the time." He mused, a faraway look in his eyes that Dib could just about make out past his goggles.</p><p>"...You want me to finish a whole year early?!" The son balked, "But Dad, that's-"</p><p>"Don't be modest, Son! I myself finished both of my degrees within a year!" He laughed proudly, "You are a <em>Membrane</em> and <em>my heir</em>! It should be no trouble for you to finish one <em>measly</em> subject in two."</p><p>The dark-haired boy stared at his Dad in disbelief, "What? ...Dad, no that's... That's insane! There's no way that I-"</p><p>"OF COURSE YOU CAN, SON!" He father cut him off, saying it with such conviction and belief that it forced Dib to shut his mouth. His teeth clicked together and he winced.</p><p>"Dad, listen... I-"</p><p>"You could study <em>Advanced Theoretical Engineering</em>, like I did.... perhaps, you could begin with <em>Intermediary Nano-Chemistry</em>.... or maybe, you would like to further your understanding of space. I know you like that... How about a course in <em>Theoretical Planetary Astro-Physics</em>??" His father rambled on, now lost in his own thoughts and holding a conversation with himself rather than the boy in front of him.</p><p>"Dad, I-"</p><p>"There are reservations, but I shall give my full backing to it if it means-"</p><p>"Dad-"</p><p>"It does not matter what you choose! You shall study under only the best of-"</p><p>"<em>DAD</em>!" Dib shouted at the top of his voice, moving to stand directly in the Professor's line of sight.</p><p>The older man stopped and looked at his boy, coming out of his introspection and noticing for the first time that Dib didn't seem exactly thrilled by any of his suggestions.</p><p>"Dad, Listen... I-I don't want to do any of that stuff..." Dib said, his head already lowering to the floor so he didn't have to look into the clouded goggles of his father and search for any more disappointment.</p><p>He closed his eyes tight and pictured his father before him. That disappointed sigh as the man shook his head in shame and pity.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>//My poor insane son//</em>
</p><p> </p><p>He sighed and looked up again to meet the Professor's heavy gaze, "I-I mean... I haven't settled on a course just yet. But, that all sounds great." He forced a smile.</p><p>The was a moment longer of uncomfortable silence, before the older man proudly clapped his son on the back and boomed, "OF COURSE IT DOES, SON!"</p><p>He strutted back down the corridor the way they had came, not bothering to look back at the boy and just loudly proclaiming,</p><p>"COME NOW, WE HAVE LEFT YOUR LITTLE FOREIGN FRIEND ALONE LONG ENOUGH! I AM SURE HE HAS MANY <em>MANY</em> QUESTIONS!"</p><p>Dib bit his lip. Why could he never just say it?!</p><p>He was such a coward.</p><p>He stared after the retreating figure in the white lab coat. He bawled his hands into fists as hard as he could until he felt the blunt sting of his nails breaking the skin, then he forced out a calming exhale and quickly picked up the pace behind the scientist, hoping that Zim had managed to do what he needed in a much shorter amount of time than anticipated. He held his breath when they entered the storage facility again, half expecting to see PEG sat open with the panel on the floor and Zim still shuffling his way around inside the damn thing.</p><p>That wasn't what they found.</p><p>When they walked into the room Dib breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the diguised alien sat cross-legged in front of the machine, scrawling away in a notepad and pretending to look thoroughly invested in his 'research'. The Professor walked into the centre of the room and coughed into his gloved hand, clearing his through.</p><p>"Hard at work, I see! Well Zim, I do have other things I must attend to so please - if you would ask your questions so we can-"</p><p>"That will not be necessary, Professor!" The little alien jumped up, whipping the notebook shut, "I have decided to do something else for my project, Good Bye now!" He saluted, and briskly stomped over to Dib. Grabbing the boy by the arm, he then proceeded to frogmarch them both right to the front entrance and out. The human boy could practically feel the 'I AM NORMAL' energy radiating from the green idiot in that moment. He briefly glanced back, saw a look of disappointment on his father and grimaced.</p><p>Pretty soon, the two of them were seated in Dib's car again and pulling out onto the road.</p><p>"So did you get it?" He pushed all other thoughts of the day out of mind and asked the little irken.</p><p>Zim smiled up at him, head resting on the palm of his hand and leaning against the window pane, "You <em>dare</em> question ZIM, Silly Human?"</p><p>Once they made it back to the base, Zim pulled out the little glass tube that contained the shard and held it up to the human. Dib stared at it intensely. On the one hand, it was tiny! He wasn't sure what he expected, but the tiny little shard of... whatever it was, that stared back at him, was most definitely not it. But, one the other hand, once he took a closer look he was captured by the beauty of it. The colours seemed to run through it and shimmer like faint dew drops trickling from a field of pale wildflowers of every shade he could imagine. He took in a breath and looked over to Zim's satisfied smirk.</p><p>"...What is it?" He asked.</p><p>Zim grinned back at him, "Undiluted, crystallised-energy in it's very purest form."</p><p>"You can crystallise energy?"</p><p>"Don't be silly, Human. That would be impossible." The alien snapped back, stifling a laugh.</p><p>"Then... how?"</p><p>"No one knows, Dib. It is completely, totally and unquestioningly <em>impossible</em>, and one of the many many mysteries of the Universe. But it is indeed real." Zim walked into his lab and stored the tube away in safely, "And it is <em>incredibly</em> powerful."</p><p>Dib watched him and gulped, "So... are you sure it will work?"</p><p>The response was instant and without question.</p><p>"Yes."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>next chapter everyone's fave goth queen returns and I am shitting myself about doing her character justice</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Movies, Games and Terrible Takeout</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Gaz returns for some much needed fluff</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dib yawned and splayed out on the couch in the tiny apartment, stifling a laugh when he heard Zim cringe on the other side. He watched as the tiny alien used two gloved fingers to pick his bare foot up by the big toe and allowed it to be dropped off the edge of the couch. Once the offending limb was away from him, Zim shuffled into cushions again, pawing at the them like an overgrown cat until he was satisfied and settled.</p><p>"That movie was even more of a disappointment than the previous, Dib-<em>Smelly</em>." The little alien looked unimpressed but he seemed to be enjoying himself, "What is the next?"</p><p>The investigator smiled at him and picked up the pile of DVDs by his feet, flipping through them. They'd decided that day would be a break from working on the new PAK. He knew they both deserved one, and definitely needed it too.</p><p>"Let's see... So you didn't like <em>Inception</em>... But you enjoyed <em>Alien</em>, right?"</p><p>"It was passable... I enjoyed the parts that involved egregious bodily harm... but the ending RUINED it. There is no way that <em>pitiful</em>, Earth female would have escaped such a creature."</p><p>Dib snickered, "Y-yeah, okay... I kinda see where you are coming from. But Ridley's kinda cool. Anyway, how about this one - <em>Alien VS Predator</em>... it's about the Xenomorph from that other movie, fighting another killer alien." He held the case up so the other could see, "It's more tongue-in-cheek than the other one... but there's a lot of fighting and stuff."</p><p>The irken took the case from his human friend and studied it, "I do not understand what '<em>tongue-in-cheek</em>' means, Dib." He muttered, whilst he quickly read the back of the box.</p><p>"Oh... um, it means... cheesy."</p><p>Zim shot him a look and threw the DVD back in his face, "Zim <em>DESPISES</em> cheeeeeeese!" </p><p>The young investigator winced as the box hit him in the face. He shook his head and rubbed at the red mark the projectile left above his nose.</p><p>"W-what? No, Zim it just means that-" </p><p>He was cut off when the both of them heard the click of a lock opening from the other side of the room. Quick as lightening, Zim had dived under the couch and snatched his disguise off the coffee table. He fidgeted in the small space beneath the furniture and managed to get one contact in.</p><p>Dib jumped off the couch and ran over to the door, unsure what he was expecting.</p><p>A was rewarded with a stuffed paper bag shoved in his face, the logo of a popular gaming company pasted on the front of it looked back at him when he squinted his eyes open. A cartoon pig stared back at him, mockingly. Why was everything getting thrown at him today?</p><p>"There were a few games at the convention I stopped by on the way home. Thought you might like some of them, so figured I pick em' up for you. Consider it a thanks for letting me stay here but you'd better be grateful, Dib - especially since you were supposed to meet me at the bus stop FORTY minutes ago!" His sisters voice came from behind the baggie.</p><p>The boy took the package; loaded with a bunch of games, merchandise and prizes the girl had won but had no reason to keep, and he placed it down on the floor next the the doorway where his sister stood, face red from anger and being forced to walk the short distance to his flat. </p><p>He thought aloud, "I don't remember arranging to meet you..."</p><p>"It's summer break, Dib. We talked about this last month! I said I was coming home for summer and you offered to let me stay here since staying at Dad's would be kinda dull all on my own, Idiot!" Gaz seethed, her fists tightening around the handles of two more large paper bundles she carried.</p><p>Oh. Oh, yeah...</p><p>Gaz was home from college and he had indeed offered to let her stay with him.</p><p>He'd been so wrapped up in helping Zim work on his new PAK that he'd completely forgotten!</p><p>"Oh, SHIT! Y-yeah... Oh my GOD, I'm such an IDIOT! Gaz I am SO <em>SO</em> sorry! I'll make it up to you, I promise!" He took the rest of his sister's bags, whilst she took the large rucksack she had also been carrying off her back. Considering that Gaz hardly ever got any exercise she'd still managed to lug a lot of stuff with her. She'd made it to the little apartment complex and, beyond wiping a bit of sweat from her forehead, she didn't really seem too tired from it all. He watched as his sister trailed into the room and flopped down on the couch, where he heard a yelp of surprise from beneath.</p><p>Zim shot out and was on his feet instantaneously, back arched and staring at his teenage sister who, to her merit, didn't seem all too shocked to see him hiding underneath the couch like a gremlin.</p><p>"Dib-Sister! Zim was not informed of your immanent arrival! EXPLAIN THIS!" He shouted, pointing an accusatory finger in the girl's direction. He'd only managed to get one contact in, and his wig was on backwards. Truly, his presence was about as commanding and terrifying as a goldfish.</p><p>Gaz turned to shoot Dib another glare, "Yes... I wonder whose fault that is." She spat out, clearly still annoyed by the whole ordeal, before turning her glare back in Zim's direction, "And my name is Gaz, Zim. You know that, you've known ME just as long as you've known DIB!" She threw a cushion at the little ex-invader and smirked triumphantly when he squeaked and jumped back from it.</p><p>"I-it isn't... We were just..." Dib gulped, not sure whether he should beg for forgiveness for not meeting her or explain why he was hanging out with Zim instead.</p><p>"...Yes, well... The Gaz-Beast has been gone a while now. Zim had assumed you had perished in some unspeakable snacking-related incident!" He stated simply, awkwardly pretending to straighten out a crease in his uniform to avoid to girl's stare. Gaz had always scared him more than a normal, human girl really should. There was something about her very being that just oozed danger and threats when she was mad. He'd decided years ago it was best to stay out of her way whenever possible.</p><p>Gaz snorted, "I didn't die, Moron! I went off to college... I just went to one out-of-state, unlike Dib." She paused, "Although I have to admit... If I were to die, I'd rather go out in some sorta crazy way like that!" She laughed as she finished, grinning at him in a way that didn't look unlike the face her brother made when he was joking around with the little alien. </p><p>He took in the girl that sat in front of him now; completely at ease and content to lounge on the couch in the spot Zim had been about ten minutes before. She had grown as well. If the girl was standing and next to Dib, he estimated she was probably about only a foot smaller. She still wore her hair in a sharp, purple bob - but it was longer now and the tips of her bangs ended crinkled in little lightening bolts that had finally grown in. Instead of one of her signature black smocks she now had on a pair of dark blue jeans and a short purple tank-top. She looked good. Healthier than she looked as a child. Her skin was no longer as pale, and her face not stuck in a constant scowl. He could only assume that college had been good for her.</p><p>Thinking back, he supposed the same thing had applied to Dib as well. He hadn't really noticed through those three years because he still saw the boy just as often, but Dib really had grown up. The affect still wasn't quite as intense though; he still had dark skin under his eyes and a pallid complexion. The city they lived in never seemed to really soak up much sunlight, so even though Dib had begun spending longer hours outside fighting Zim and going on his creature-hunting trips, he was still pretty pale. Over his years on Earth, Zim had begun to realise that ghostie-white and mottled grey were not actually a healthy colouring for humans - even though most of the people he saw upon first leaving his base had made him believe otherwise. The city really was a dump, after all.</p><p>"Anyway, what are you doing here? Did you sneak in to abduct my idiot brother or something? Take him back to your lair to replace his brain with a spoon?"</p><p>He was snapped out of his reverie when the girl asked him a question. She unzipped her rucksack and pulled out a can of something, pausing for a moment, before tossing it over to him and then grabbing another two. Popping the tab, she opened the soda and downed about half the can in one go, sighing happily once she'd had her fill. Zim wan't sure how to answer that and was even more confused when she gave him the drink in the same breath as suggesting he was about to do something nefarious to her own family member. He looked at the can and flicked the tab with a claw, but didn't open it yet,</p><p>"No, Zim has no reason to hurt the Dib anymore." He said quietly.</p><p>He waited for her reaction, expecting one of two things - either laughter and mockery, or questioning and (IRK-FORBID!) pity. But he got none of those.</p><p>"Oh, really? Guess that's good. Means I won't have to explain anything to Dad if something did happen to Dib."</p><p>The alien was take aback by the statement as the human girl casually sipped her soda. Dib slid down next to her, sending her a confused side-ways glance. The movies were still strewn across the floor from when Zim had shot to the floor, there were half-eaten snacks on the coffee table and no signs of a fight. He supposed, thinking about it now, it was pretty damn clear the two of them had been having a movie day before Gaz showed up - couple that with the fact that Zim wasn't properly in his human disguise, and the implications were pretty obvious.</p><p>"You're not... like, worried or shocked or anything? Me and Zim have been at each other's throats since elementary." He mused.</p><p>"And yet, neither of you losers are dead yet. Funny that, huh?" The purple-haired teen smirked and raised a pierced eyebrow in his direction.</p><p>He glanced up at Zim, the alien still seeming pretty uncomfortable after being shaken by the intrusion, and shrugged up at the irken with an apologetic smile.</p><p>"Sorry... I guess I really did forget I told Gaz she could stay for a couple months while college is closed. Guess with everything that's been going on it just slipped my mind...rain check?" He explained, sheepishly. He swore he caught a faint look of sadness flit across the other's face before it was quickly replaced with his go-to haughtiness.</p><p>"Very well. We shall continue this another day then, Dib-Stink."</p><p>"You don't have to go on my behalf, Zim" Gaz looked over to him, "Heck, I wanted to show Dib some of the cool new games I got for him... some of those require more than two players, <em>and</em> I have an extra controller~" She dug through her bag, pulling out a wireless, custom-made controller with neon lights and special grip around the edges, "This one is mine though. You two can be basic bitches and use Dib's."</p><p>Dib grinned at her, needing no further excuse to coax his alien to stay, "You're on."</p><p>The little irken tilted his head and stared at the two of them, "Your Earth-Games cannot surely stand against <em>superior</em> Irken ones. I am sure I will be victorious if we do compete!" He quickly joined them on the couch, although he still watched Gaz warily.</p><p>The nineteen year-old leaned forward to look past her brother and sent another, less-angry-more-stern, glare in his direction.</p><p>"If you really think you can beat me at ANY game, <em>alien or not</em>, you're in for a huge wake up call!"</p><p>Dib got up to retrieve the paper bag he'd left by the door and returned with it, placing it between himself and Zim. He pulled out a few cool-looking games with pictures of various monsters, eldritch horrors and some funky-looking space ships he was sure the alien would have a thing or two to say about. There were a few PC games he could play on his laptop, he pushed those to one side for now though and focused on the PlayStation games that allowed for multiple participants. Zim had tried to help pick something out but after a moment of reading the mechanics of a game on the back of one box he gave up and left the choice up to Dib. No matter how many times he reread the English paragraph he could not make any sense out of it.</p><p>They spent the afternoon and most of the evening picking out a few different games to try out; shooters, platformers, puzzles, brawlers. Zim had taken his one contact out and removed his wig after the second round of their first game, clearly at a disadvantage already without having to deal with his senses being dulled. The little irken certainly was competitive, and no matter how many times he lost to one of the humans he never stayed down for very long and usually demanded a do-over. It was fun, and pretty soon both boys completely forgot all their worries outside of the little apartment, content to blow the night away shooting digital lasers at pixelted enemies and button-spamming until the level boss was beaten.</p><p>After watching Zim loose to Dib a seventh, Gaz had taken pity on the little alien and pushed Dib away to order the trio some pizza and get some drinks from the kitchen. During the five minutes the boy was gone, she had managed to train Zim on battle tactics and went through the weaknesses she knew of the characters her brother favored. The look of shock as the smugness got wiped off Dibs face after that was the highlight of her night, and she cursed herself for not thinking to take her phone out ready to capture the moment forever.</p><p>It wasn't long after that the takeout arrived and the trio were happily spread out on the floor. Gaz shovelled half of her own pizza down before it had even cooled and was now contentedly dolloping more garlic dip over her remaining slices, with her mouth still full as she hummed to herself. Dib preferred to take his time a bit more with his food and savour it, even if it wasn't the best. He prodded absentmindedly at one of the too-thick pepperoni slices and looked over to Zim, who was busying himself digging through a stringy-looking salad and eyeing a piece of cucumber suspiciously.</p><p>He nudged the alien with his foot, "Want me to put some popcorn in?"</p><p>Zim nodded, carefully placing the pot of salad down, away from him.</p><p>Dib returned with a big bowl of popcorn between them and the irken was grateful to have something warm and sweet available to him while he stared at the paused game on the screen.</p><p>"This game is dumb."</p><p>The two humans looked round at him and the boy asked him, laughing slightly like he already knew the answer would be humorous, "And Why's that, Space Boy?"</p><p>She shrugged, "The game is called 'Space Invaders: DOOM 4'... But these invaders are TERRIBLE! If they really wanted to conquer anywhere, they would get no where by just throwing themselves at the enemy to be shot at! It makes no sense... and their leaders are stood right at the back, along with the drones! It's just not realistic!" He ranted, moving his hands dramatically and pouting at the screen, "For REAL battle, you need PLANNING and STRATEGY! But the invaders in this game just rely on numbers and random lazor fire! Infact, it isn't random! There is always a pattern to the lasers so that the enemy is able to learn from it. THAT'S EVEN WORSE!"</p><p>The two humans stared at him for a moment, then looked to each other, and burst into laughter.</p><p>"HAH<em>Aha</em>-God, Zim.. <em>ha</em>... <em>oh, man</em>... Geez, I really doubt the creators of the game were thinking about <em>actual</em> Galactic conquest when they designed the levels..." Dib managed to sputter out through his wheezing. Gaz calmed herself down enough to grin at her brother,</p><p>"If I'd known how funny he was I would have forced you guys to hug it out years ago!"</p><p>The alien looked between the two of them, confused and completely lost to why his assessment was so funny but, he decided that he didn't really care too much at that moment. The day had been too good to ruin it by thinking too hard and he soon found himself letting out a quiet giggle as well. Dib smiled over at him and pretty soon the three of them were back to bantering, chatting and playing more games. When he checked the time he realised it was pretty late.</p><p>
  <em>11.40pm</em>
</p><p>"Oh, <em>Irk</em>! I left Gir and Minimoose alone all day in the base... Tallest only knows what they got up to!" He jumped up and quickly started fixing his wig and searching for the contact he'd lost earlier. Dib crawled over to the couch and reached underneath, eventually finding and pulling it out to offer to his alien friend.</p><p>"Um... I don't think you're going anywhere tonight, Bug-Boy."</p><p>Both boys turned to look at the purple-haired teen, who was staring out the window. They followed her gaze. Zim felt himself go rigid when he saw the downpour outside, shuddering when he recalled the few times he'd been careless enough to get caught in the rain before - this was much heavier than any of those times. It wasn't a storm by any means, but all three could see clearly how thickly the drips fell from the grey sky. Gaz was right. Zim wasn't going anywhere in weather like that.</p><p>"Did you forget to check the weather this morning...?" Dib asked cautiously, looking over to his nervous friend whose eyes were glued to the window.</p><p>"...P-perhaps, Zim may have been prepared for a sunnier day... The sky was not exactly so cloudly earlier this morning."</p><p>"Oh, man... You need to start checking the weather reports properly instead of just relying on Gir!" Dib groaned.</p><p>"But the reportings on the daily atmosphere that the blonde human on the teevee delivers are not even accurate! Dib-Thing has said so himself, yes?" The alien shot back at him, looking irritated.</p><p>"Well... I guess you got me there." He held up his hands in surrender, sighing "Look, it doesn't matter... You can just stay here tonight and check up on your crazy robot minions in the morning. Things can't have gotten <em>that</em> out of hand, right?"</p><p>Zim folded his arms and looked to the floor, "You'd be surprised." He muttered, before meeting the young man's eyes again, "Very well then, it looks like I do not have much of a choice in the matter anyways."</p><p><br/>
-------</p><p><br/>
Dib lead the little alien into his room and rooted around his clothing drawers for a few moments. Eventually, he came back up for air and pulled out one of his old T-shirts, now a a bit on the small side for him but perfect for the tiny irken. He held it out to Zim along with some old pyjama shorts that he probably should have thrown out a few years ago.</p><p>Zim eyed him curiously, "What do you want me to do with these, Stinky?"</p><p>"Um... Put them on. So you have something to sleep in?"</p><p>The alien gawked at the question, laughing "EH?! I do not change out of my uniform for mere SLEEPING, Dib-Smelly! I do not change out of my uniform for <em>anything</em>... well, anything other than bathing I suppose. <em>But, the point stands</em>!"</p><p>The boy blinked, surprised and looked the irken up and down, "Yeah... Now that you mention it I guess I really have never seen you out of that thing before. How many of those tunic-dressy thingies do you even have?" He pondered.</p><p>Zim's eye twitched and he frowned, "<em>THIS</em> is not a simple human 'tunic-dress thingy' as you so disgustingly referred to it as, you uncultured <em>Flooglevorf</em>! <em>THIS</em> is the uniform of a proud Irken Invader, and I have worn this uniform since finishing the Academy and becoming an adult!" He stated, proudly gesturing to his clothing whilst he puffed his chest out, "At least, it is what I have worn whenever I have not had to change attire for a mission. An irken wears their uniform with pride and loyalty, Dib. <em>PRIDE AND LOYALTY!!</em>"</p><p>The human deadpanned and just stared at him, "But Zim... You're not even an invader anymore..." He saw the irken flinch at the comment and hissed at his own tactlessness, quickly adding on, "W-what I mean is... um, you don't <em>need</em> to wear your uniform <em>all</em> the time, anymore... r-right?"</p><p>Zim had the expression of a kicked puppy on his face for a few seconds, before he steeled himself and forced a glower. He reached out and snatched the clothes from Dib, "Very well then. ZIM SHALL WEAR YOUR <em>PITIFUL</em> HUMAN COVERINGS FOR THE NIGHT, DIB-SHIT!"</p><p>Dib breathed a sigh of relief; it was short-lived the moment he noticed Zim had already begun stripping directly in front of him, the tunic already off and folded neatly on the bed as he moved on to the leggings.</p><p>"W-WOAH! ZIM! WHAT THE- ...J-just... Let me leave the room first! GEEZ!" He looked away and quickly made a break for the door. The little alien just watched him go with a dumb look on his face, not in the least bit embarrassed to be changing in front of the human.</p><p>"But, Dib-Thing... Do you not also need to change into appropriate sleep attire?"</p><p>"I'LL CHANGE ONCE YOUR DONE, <em>IT'S FINE</em>!"</p><p>The door slammed shut after him.</p><p>Soon after, Zim was pulling the soft T-shirt over his head. Irken uniforms were soft in their own way; tight and pliable. This was something different. The fabric was thicker than what he was used to, and it was old. Very small pieces had come away and now covered the top layer of the material in an extremely light fluff that felt incredible to the irken's sensitive skin. Curiously, he pulled the collar up and dropped one of his antennae underneath; it smelt of old wood and must, a little bit of fabric softener, and something he couldn't quite put his claw on - but it reminded him of going to the library one time years ago and opening an ancient book to read the stories inside it's stained pages. It smelled like a childhood never forgotten, and a little boy who soon became Zim's number one annoyance in life.</p><p>Realising he had become lost in thought again, he quickly picked up his folded uniform and put it on-top of Dib's cabinet so it wouldn't get dirty or creased when the boy went to sleep later on. Then, he stepped back out of the doorway and into the other room to join the two humans.</p><p>Dib looked up when he heard his bedroom door creak open, and his heart skipped a beat. Zim looked so small. He knew the alien was short, but without his tight-fitted uniform the bug really was tiny. The T-shirt he'd given him fit perfectly, but the way the looser clothing hung off his petite frame really did show how truly tiny and thin the irken was. His legs were bare apart from the shorts and he was still barefoot from earlier, but he'd chosen to keep his gloves on for whatever reason. The sleeves cut off quite a bit before the gloves began though, so Dib saw how pale all of the alien's limbs were compared to his face. If irkens tanned under a sun like humans then Dib was certain Zim hadn't been lying when he said he really did ALWAYS wear his uniform.</p><p>He looked cute.</p><p>Zim plopped down next to him, giving him an annoyed pout, "WHAT?!" He squawked. The boy immediately jumped up, realising he'd probably just been staring like a creep.</p><p>"S-sorry... Um, I-I'll go change now!" He retreated into his bedroom, a soft blush growing on his face. The purple-haired girl snorted quietly and shook her head, whilst the little alien just watched him go with a perplexed look on his face.</p><p>She turned and smiled at Zim, "You look good in something a little more relaxed." Then she winked at him and walked off into the bathroom with her own pyjamas to change into. Zim was left even more confused.</p><p>Once the two siblings were back they considered how to sleep for the night.</p><p>"Gaz, You can take my bed for the night... Zim can take the couch and I'll sleep on the floor." Dib offered, trying to be a good host.</p><p>His sister just rolled her eyes, "Like I'd leave you two alone to have all the fun. We should all just stay out here and have a sleepover-type thing!"</p><p>"...A "sleep over"?" Zim questioned.</p><p>"Yeah! Dib, we could put your duvet on the floor along with a bunch of blankets and pillows and all sleep right here, under the stars... Sounds like something you two would probably love!" She chuckled. Being "under the stars" in this context meant sleeping facing Dib's tiny window, under a grey sky that was still pelting the ground with rain. Dib considered her suggestion while Zim continued bantering with his little sister. </p><p>"I have never really cared much for stars... They are just balls of gas. Even you humans know this, yes?" He shook his head, "They are nothing special."</p><p>Gaz corrected him, "<em>FLAMING</em> balls of gas."</p><p>He gave her a toothy grin, "I suppose I can see your point, Demon-child."</p><p>She beamed at the nickname and it made his squiddlyspooch surge with pride that he'd apparently done something right in the young girl's eyes. Dib smiled watching the two getting along like old friends. He didn't doubt that he could possibly find himself waking up to them sharing incredibly embarrassing stories about him over breakfast. That could wait until tomorrow though.</p><p>"Yeah, alright... if you two are fine with sleeping on the floor." He shrugged.</p><p>"Uck! Your floor is probably covered in filthy, filthy human germ-creatures! But... as long as we are lying in the comfy blankets and not on said flooring... I suppose I can cope with that." the little alien said, and Dib really couldn't tell if that was sarcasm or not. He'd hoovered the floor earlier that day though - just like he did every morning he knew the germophobic idiot would be coming over, and Zim knew that too. He rolled his eyes, picked up a cushion from the couch and swung it at Zim.</p><p>The alien was caught off-guard and jumped back hissing.</p><p>"YOU <em>DARE</em> ATTACK ZIM WHEN HE HAS LET HIS GUARD DOWN?! <em>BETRAYAL</em>!!" He screeched.</p><p>Dib just laughed back at him and Gaz grinned, tossing a pillow his way.</p><p>"Here, have some ammunition for a counterattack..." She giggled evilly, before beginning her own round of attacks on the two boys.</p><p>Zim didn't understand what they were doing at first. He had thought that one of the rules of "friendship" was not attacking each other?<br/>
After watching the Membrane siblings for a moment; hearing their laughter and seeing the grins spread on their faces, he soon realised this was just another game to them. They were fighting with soft pillows that wouldn't really hurt. Well, not without getting creative anyway. His face formed into a large grin and his sharp teeth clicked together as he jumped in to join the fray, soon loosing himself in the fun as well.</p><p>Twenty minutes later, the trio were lying spread out on Dib's duvet panting heavily to catch their collective breaths. Gaz had corralled the two boys into submission; first by ganging up on Dib with Zim, and then turning on the green monster when he was tired from the battle. She was also the first to regain her composure and sat up to give the other two a shit-eating grin. Her brother glared at her with a pout and the alien rolled over on to his stomach, propping himself up on one elbow.</p><p>"You are <em>completely</em> merciless, Gaz-Human. I do have to say you would have made a great invader, had you been irken." He admitted.</p><p>"I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or an insult... But thanks, I suppose?" She shrugged and shook her head, still grinning like a hyena, "I suppose coming from you, it's probably a good thing..."</p><p>"<em>N-not</em>... not a... <em>not a</em> compliment... t-take it from me, Gaz..." Dib managed to wheeze out between breaths, envious that the two of them were already back to normal even though he was the first one knocked out.</p><p>His sister cackled down at him, "You're just jealous, Dummy! ...also, if you really wanna stand a chance hunting your weirdass monsters or whatever, you <em>might</em> wanna think about hitting the gym at some point."</p><p>He threw his pillow at her but missed pathetically, "Shut up!"</p><p>The three started giggling like morons again at that. Gaz lay back down between the boys and they all stared out of the window. Zim watched as the rain pelted down hard against the glass. Earth glass was so flimsy it would shatter if merely touched the wrong way. He knew this and yet, lying there with the two humans and watching the heavy water droplets beat down on the earth outside, he felt an overwhelming sense of calm. The blankets beneath him were soft and warm; inviting him to drift off into sleep. The only reason he didn't allow himself to give into it was because he was enjoying the moment far too much. Dib and Gaz had asked him to stay earlier. No one EVER asked him to stay unless they had to. He didn't really understand what it meant, but it made him feel really good about himself for the first time since--</p><p>"Can I talk to you guys about something...?" The purple-haired girl asked quietly, eyes still fixed to the grey sky outside the window.</p><p>"Sure, Is something bothering you?" Dib asked, looking over to her.</p><p>"No, <em>no</em>!- Well, yes... <em>maybe</em>? I don't know how to feel about it really..." She sighed, "You see... there's this really popular girl in one of my joint-classes..."</p><p>The young man frowned, slipping into protective-older-brother mode, "Is she bullying you?"</p><p>Gaz raised an eyebrow and frowned, "<em>What</em>?! No! No, that's not it!" She laughed, "<em>Christ</em>, Dib! If <em>THAT</em> was the problem then this wouldn't be bothering me... who saved <em>your</em> ass from Torque Smackey all the way through high school, again?"</p><p>He relaxed and nodded, "Fair point", albeit a little bit bitter his own younger sister was the one with the balls out of the two of them.</p><p>Gaz grinned and continued, "She's not a bully... she's just <em>crazy popular</em>! Especially with all the guys in the class. She's like the type who spends hours on her hair and makeup every morning and always comes to class in a skimpy new outfit... but, she's also like <em>insanely NICE,</em> you know? Not even in a condescending way... Like, she's <em>actually</em> a really friendly person."</p><p>"She sounds like a typical human <em>worm-baby</em>... I do not see the issue." Zim watched the girl, unsure where she was going with all of this. He noticed she had a distant look in her eyes, like she was searching for something in the cloudy sky above them.</p><p>"Heh... yeah, you would say that. I just... I didn't really take too much notice of her at first. But, she kept trying to talk to me... like <em>ALL</em> THE TIME! I thought maybe she was trying to take pity on the weird girl with no friends but when I told her to fuck off... s-she'd always come back like a week later and try again..."</p><p>Dib watched his sister as she told the story, a tired and sad look on her face.</p><p>"I mean... I don't dress in <em>ALL</em> black anymore... But it isn't like people don't still find me super creepy. I've heard people talking and I know what they think. "<em>Resting bitch face</em>" is something I've heard thrown around a lot..." She grumbled, "It doesn't really bother me anymore, sometimes I find it pretty funny. Besides, if people are scared of you then you can often use that to your <em>advantage</em>~" She heard Zim snicker at this and gave a small smile, "But she never had any of those reactions..."</p><p>Dib stared at his sister, trying to figure out where this story was going. Was she just sad because this girl was acting weirdly around her? </p><p>Because she wasn't scared or put-off by her attitude?</p><p>"Well... the day the term ended, she came and found me... Said she'd wanted to talk to me earlier in the year but had to "<em>work up the courage</em>"... Then she <em>asked me out</em>." The gamer chewed her lip with her tongue, "And I didn't really give her a response... Just said I'd see her next year..."</p><p>Dib and Zim looked at the girl for a moment longer after the story finished, then looked at each other. The young investigator thought it over for a moment. He had never thought Gaz might have been gay, but to be honest, he had never really thought Gaz would ever actually date anyone. She was his terrifying little sister who only cared about games and pizza. He wondered if Gaz was feeling bad about being mean to the poor girl all year and then blowing her off, or if she was just confused about her own feelings and was about to ask more when:</p><p>"That is silly. Why is it a big deal if the two of you left the building? I do not see why you are so emotional over something like that." Zim stated flatly.</p><p>The siblings looked at him, both with wide eyes. Then, Gaz started to laugh. She had tears in her eyes when she said,</p><p>"God, Zim! I-I forgot just how <em>ALIEN</em> you are... <em>ha...ha</em>... but, you know what?" The girl wheezed, "You're right... in a <em>really</em> weird, roundabout sorta way. In the grand scheme of things, I suppose it <em>doesn't really matter</em>, does it?" At that, she gave a small smile and returned to looking out of the window, "I have a couple months to decide what to do about all of that anyway."</p><p>The young investigator stared between the two of them, unsure exactly how that was just resolved so quickly. He smiled and shook his head, letting his mind drift once more to thoughts of nothing in particular; day dreams weaving in and out of his mind like pebbles washed away by the sea.</p><p>Eventually the teen broke the silence once more, "What about you two then?"</p><p>The both looked at her, unsure what she meant at first.</p><p>"<em>Come on</em>! I just poured my heart and soul out here. The least you two idiots can do is tell me what <em>finally</em> made you stop trying to blow each other up!" She grinned back at them, moving her head from side to side to look at them both. Dib was unsure what to tell her. He wasn't sure how much Zim would want her to know, or how much she would even really understand. Gaz had been around throughout Zim's entire "mission", but she'd never really paid much attention from what he could tell - and he wasn't really sure how much of his past ramblings she'd actually listened to. He looked over to Zim, who looked back at him with tired eyed and nodded.</p><p>"...Zim... isn't going to be trying to take over the Earth anymore..." He explained.</p><p>The nineteen year-old looked over to the alien with a smirk, apparently not as adept at reading the irken's body language as her brother, "What? Your leaders finally get sick of all your terrible schemes?" She chided in a mocking tone.</p><p>"Yes." Zim stated plainly back.</p><p>Her face fell, "O-oh... um, s-sorry... I guess I wasn't <em>actually</em> expecting that..."</p><p>The alien shrugged, "It is okay... Zim has come to terms with this and there is more to the story anyway."</p><p>She rolled over to face him and placed her cheek on her elbow, waiting curiously. He sighed, figuring he might as well continue the explanation. She would find out eventually, if she was going to be living with Dib for the foreseeable future.</p><p>"Zim's mission was a <em>lie</em>. Zim was not sent to Earth to conquer it... or even to just gather information. It was all to get me away from the Armada for <em>Operation Impending Doom two</em>, so that I wouldn't wreck any havoc like I did during the first one." He lowered his gaze, imagining the judging looks of his own kind staring back at him, "My Tallest did not even <em>know</em> of Earth's existence... They were hoping I would die out in unknown space, searching for an imaginary world to invade..."</p><p>"<em>W-wow</em>... that's pretty heavy..."</p><p>Zim looked up out of the window at the dark dark sky. Now, it didn't provide any feeling of the comfort and warmth from earlier. Safe and secure inside a warm apartment building and away from the rain; but all he could feel in that moment was the cold expanse of space and the void he could very well have never escaped from. Irkens were always prepared to die; they were a military society that swore their very existence to serving the Tallest's every wish. The irken drones were prepared to die for any reason at any given time. That is what he had told himself upon first discovering the truth...</p><p>But, he meant what he'd said that day to Dib. In the very core of his very being, buried deeply beneath even what his PAK did not touch and hidden away from any kind of conscious thought, was the cold truth: He did not want to die.</p><p>"My Tallest told me all of this around three Earth months ago, now. Since then, my PAK has been slowly shutting down... I estimate now, I do not have any longer than another four months left until it shuts down and my life clock is activated."</p><p>Gaz stared at him, her golden eyes almost popping right out of her head, "That's... <em>horrible</em>."</p><p>"<em>B-But we're gonna save him</em>!" Dib interjected, "W-we've been working on a <em>new</em> PAK he can use! And, now we have that piece of energy-crystal stuff that you took from PEG we're <em>finally</em> gonna be able to start!" He sat up, looking over his sister to watch his friend. Zim seemed dejected again, his antennae lying limp against the blanket as he stared out of the window. </p><p>He forced a weak smile for the human, "Yes. We can..."</p><p>Gaz looked between the two of them, mulling over what Dib had just said in her head for a moment, "So... You two are gonna make Zim a new PAK using whatever energy source Dad used to create PEG?" She chewed her lip, thoughtfully, "I mean it's not the<em> worst</em> idea either of you have ever come up with, I <em>guess</em>... I don't really know what that <em>thing</em> on your back even really does, Zim... but if it's really <em>THAT</em> important... then I'll help you two however I can. I don't know what use I can be, but if you need me I'll be here."</p><p>The two boys looked back to her, one smiling gratefully and the other offering a tired nod in return.</p><p>"Besides, we gotta get you back to top working order before we can go out in to the field! Right, Space Boy?" The boy thought now may be a good time to change the subject to something a little more hopeful and lighthearted.</p><p>"Field?" Gaz flashed a confused look over to him.</p><p>"Yeah! Me and Zim are gonna go into business together... It was actually kinda his idea!" He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "I mean, I never really thought about going into hunting the paranormal <em>by myself</em> before."</p><p>"The Dib-Thing asked me to join him once my new PAK is complete... I agreed but, since the chances are still not <em>definite</em>... we shall see." The alien still sounded pretty tired and done with everything, but Dib saw the ghost of a smile on his face and his antennae perked a little.</p><p>The nineteen year-old looked between the two and snorted, playfully punching her brother on the shoulder, "I bet Dad just <em>LOVED</em> that idea!" she grinned, not catching the wince that ran across Dib's features.</p><p>"Speaking of Dad, I should probably try and see him at least once while I'm here... You think you could pull him out of work and arrange something, Dib? It might be nice to surprise him..."</p><p>He forced a smile for her and nodded, "Sure, Gaz. I'll do my best."</p><p>They fell asleep soon after that; Dib starfishing across one entire side of the big duvet, Gaz sleeping like an ancient mummy with her arms crossed over her chest, and Zim cocooned under the majority of the blankets, his antennae sticking out and vibrating as he snored. In the morning, Dib woke to the smell of bacon and eggs sailing up his nostrils. He sat up to find his sister cooking breakfast whilst a disgusted-looking irken perched on the kitchen counter-top, loudly complaining about the smell and the grease.</p><p>"If you don't like it then go away until I'm done cooking!" The girl shouted at the bug.</p><p>"BUT YOU MUST BE TOLD EXACTLY HOW <em>PUTRID</em> YOUR HUMAN MEAT-DIETS ARE!"</p><p>They bantered back and force for a while, Zim eventually leaving looking a little paler than usual, so that he could (somewhat) escape the strong smell of the oil and fat. The human had a fleeting thought about asking the alien at some point exactly how good his sense of smell was, before it was immediately replaced by the rumbling of his stomach.</p><p>"DIB! Get your ass in here before I eat all of this without you!" He heard his sister call, and immediately rushed in to stop that tragedy from ever occurring. After finishing the breakfast, dirty plates abandoned by the sink, he found the little gremlin with his head stuck in a box of sugary cereal and snorted. He took out a phone and snapped a picture, grinning when the box turned to look at him.</p><p>"That better not be what it sounded like, Stinky!" A voice spoke from beneath the cardboard.</p><p>"<em>Relax</em>! It's not like you can actually see your head on the picture! Let me just have this." He quickly returned his phone to his pocket as the alien grumbled in annoyed acceptance. He would definitely be making that his screensaver.</p><p>They spent the first half of the day playing more games and watching another couple of movies, before Zim decided he should probably head back home and check to see if Gir hadn't manage to wreck the base. He quickly changed into his uniform once more and tugged his boots back on, whilst both humans were telling him he had to stop being so paranoid all the time. Sure, Gir was a little crazy but he could take care of himself and absolutely couldn't have done <em>that</em> much damage from being left alone for just over thirty hours! (However, he had of course. Once Zim returned he found the entire place covered in spicy tortilla dipping sauce and exactly six and a half dead fish in the front room.)</p><p>It had been a good night for all.</p><p><br/>
--------</p><p><br/>
Two days later, the boys were sat on opposite sides of the small kitchen table in Dib's apartment. Gaz was out meeting a friend so they'd been left alone to work that day and between the two of them a mass of notes, schematics and messy designs were spread all out across the table. Dib had just placed a hot chocolate in front of the little irken and was about to take a sip of his own coffee when-</p><p>"UGH! NO NO <em>NO NO</em>!" Zim jumped up onto the table and threw a stack of papers he had spent the last three hours working on to the floor. He then proceeded to jump on the papers like a rabid dog and begin tearing them to pieces until they were strewn all across the floor. The investigator just watched it all unfold and calmly put his coffee down before he calmly asked his friend what had him so upset,</p><p>"ZIM! WHAT THE <em>FUCK</em>?!"</p><p>Zim looked up at him, a piece of paper still hanging from between his teeth and scowled, "YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IS THE FUCK, STINKY! THESE STUPID DESIGNS! NONE OF THESE ARE RIGHT! NONE OF THEM ARE CORRECT! NONE OF THEM ARE <em>GOOD ENOUGH</em> FOR <em>ZIM</em>!" </p><p>The boy groaned, "Yeah... So you keep telling me day." He picked up one of the papers left on the table and thumbed over the design, trying to figure out exactly what it was that the alien was so offended by. He grumbled, "Doesn't mean you get to make a mess of my kitchen, you fucking roach."</p><p>He just managed to grab his coffee off the table as Zim leapt across it to perch in front of him, a frantic look in his eyes as he held out yet-another scrapped design - apparently the one he had been working on last. Dib narrowed his eyes at the alien and held his mug away, watching cautiously as Zim dropped the scraps of paper on to the table and re-arranged them so the boy could see what all the fuss was about. Half of the scribblings were in Irken, and even the ones Zim had remembered to write in English were either disrupted by the tears in the paper or were just unintelligible chicken-scratch, so he focused on the sketch in the centre. From what he could tell, it looked pretty good. It looked just like his current PAK, really.</p><p>Dib glanced over the table at all the others and frowned, realising something.</p><p>"Hey, Zim... Have you noticed that pretty much all of the ones you design by yourself either end up looking exactly like your current PAK or turn in to some kind of completely different thing, altogether? ...I mean yesterday you pretty much drew a giant canon with roller blades before..." He trailed off noticing the look Zim was giving him; wide-eyed like a deer caught in headlights, "Um, Space Boy... Y-you okay, there?"</p><p>The green bug leapt back to the kitchen floor and over to the far wall, hissing slightly under his breath and pointing a claw accusingly at Dib.</p><p>"<em>YOU LIE</em>!" He screeched.</p><p>The investigator groaned, tilting his head back as his friend fell straight back into denial.</p><p>"STOP YOUR FILTHY, STINKING LIES! ZIM IS AN EXCELLENT DESIGN-GENEER! ZIM HAS MADE MANY MANY POWERFUL WEAPONS AND MACHINERY THE LIKES OF WHY YOU, <em>SIMPLE PEA-BRAIN</em> COULD NEVER <em>POSSIBLY</em> UNDERSTAND!"</p><p>"Yeah okay, forget it-"</p><p>"ZIM WAS CRAFTING GREAT WORKS OF IRKEN ENGINEERING AND AMAZINGNESS BEFORE YOUR PATHETIC HUMAN DNA WAS EVEN SPLICING, SMELLY!"</p><p>"I said forg-"</p><p>"ZIM HAS MADE A-"</p><p>"<em>ZIM</em>!" Dib shouted, jumping from his chair and slamming the coffee mug down on the table; the contents spilling out and covering the remaining papers. He glared over at the little gremlin hunched in the corner of the room. He stared him down for a moment of silence before saying his piece,</p><p>"I said <em>forget it</em>." He said through tensely-gritted teeth, before seeing the nervous twitch of Zim's features and calming himself again. God, these past couple days had been tough for the both of them, but loosing his shit every time the alien threw a tantrum wasn't going to help. He took a few deep breaths and let himself cool down,</p><p>"Look... I don't know what has been going wrong the past couple days but you can talk to me, alright? Clearly, we aren't going to move forward with this until we figure out why you don't like any of these designs... But, I don't really get it. I mean, you're right, you<em> HAVE</em> designed and built of a <em>bunch</em> of stuff before now. So, why is this time <em>different</em>...?"</p><p>The little irken looked like he was about to start another screaming match for a millisecond, but then his features softened and he looked down at his feet before sinking to the floor.</p><p>"...Dib-Stink is wrong." He said with a hint of annoyance, "Zim has never done <em>THIS</em> before." </p><p>He pulled his knees to himself, and rested his chin on them, arms wrapped tightly around himself. It looked almost like he was trying to make himself as small as possible - something Dib had never seen before. For as long as he'd known the little alien, even when they'd become closer over the years, Zim had always tried his utmost to appear bigger and more confident than he really was. This was uncomfortable territory they were in now, and the paranormal investigator was unsure how exactly to proceed to comfort his friend. After a moment of hesitation, he slid down the wall and sat next to Zim, trying to keep himself relaxed but also slumping a little against the wall so he would be around Zim's current level and not looking down at him. He knew the irken had a bit of a height complex even at his best, when he was his normal level of "<em>Zim-ness</em>". He really didn't need to give the other any more reason to be uncomfortable right now.</p><p>"Done what...?" Dib started to question, already having an idea of what exactly Zim might be referring to, but wanting Zim to talk through the issue himself as well.</p><p>"All these... <em>decisions</em>. Zim has designed a great many things before and come to many decisions about things! B-but... none of those things would be a part of Zim. None of those things would be FOR Zim. Not really... They were always for the mission. For My Tallest and The Empire. T-this is different... This is something just for <em>Zim</em>. I-I... I don't know what<em> I want</em>. What is Zim <em>supposed</em> to want, Dib-Thing? There are too many choices..." The irken sighed and slumped forward, burying his head between his arms and hunching over. His broken PAK crushed between his back and the wall was already beginning to dim, the usually bright pink lights becoming duller the longer they took to complete their task.</p><p>Dib bit his lip for a moment and thought about it, "I know this must be hard... but I think it's important for you to decide for yourself what you want from this new PAK. I-I know it won't have all of the things your old one did, it'll be much simpler... no emotional inhibitor, not as many connections... personally, I don't think you really need all the chemicals inside that thing, y'know? I mean sleep and eating decent meals really aren't that bad and I wonder how healthy it can possibly be to force yourself to go without all that-" He stopped himself from furthering his rant and sighed, "But I think it's important for you to decide for yourself."</p><p>Zim listened, unsure what to think of any of it. Since the connection to his PAK had been forcefully cut off from the Control Brains he had indeed been sleeping much more often, and had needed to eat more too - though he was still loosing quite a bit of weight with the nutrients the PAK supplied also lessening drastically. He didn't mind the sleeping part so much, it was definitely relaxing and the moments when he first woke up with his meat-brain still dulled from the lull of unconsciousness were certainly a welcome retreat from all the problems he currently faced. Being able to fall asleep came with the knowledge that he was safe and secure in that moment - that was his favourite part.</p><p>"How about we start with something simple? After that, we can just work through this whole process <em>together</em>... one thing at a time."</p><p>He mulled it over for a moment. The two of them had begun attacking the project soon after getting back from Membrane Labs; each filling up page after page of ideas. But they'd all been disjointed, un-communicated and maybe little bit rushed. He supposed it couldn't hurt to try slowing things down just a little bit...</p><p>"What do you propose?" The irken looked over to the human boy watching him, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.</p><p>"What <em>colour</em> would you like it?"</p><p>Zim blinked, surprised. Such a silly question. Why did the colour of the PAK matter when compared to it's facilities?</p><p>He went to answer, but paused. His immediate answer had been pink or purple, the colours his creations always were; the colours of the Irken Empire. But, would that be right? </p><p>To use the colours of Irk when it was no longer his place?</p><p>At the end of the day they were just colours. It didn't really matter that much. But, a little part at the back of Zim's mind was screaming that it did. That if he went with those colours he'd never really be free from their influence.</p><p>He dug his nails into his legs and ground his teeth together, "Why is even the <em>SIMPLEST</em> question so difficult to answer?!"</p><p>Dib watched as the emotions ran through his companion's features, firstly looking incredulous at what must have seemed like such a ridiculous question given that they were on a bit of a tight time limit still. Dib knew the colour didn't matter in as much of a practical way as things like functions and weapons - but it wasn't about that. This was about Zim coming to terms with individuality; something he'd always definitely had even if he had never accepted it himself. The little alien was definitely, undoubtedly always his own person - but Zim might not see it that way, and this was an important step. Zim's face went from confused, sad to angry in mere seconds and Dib found himself smile at the unchecked emotions bubbling to the surface.</p><p>"Just... think about it for a minute. We have a bit of time..." He said, calmly watching Zim.</p><p>Zim looked over to the boy, and still thinking about colours, took in for the first time the amount his new partner had. At a glance you could just some up Dib's attire with the words black, grey and navy...</p><p>But it wasn't just that. The jet black of the young man's hair was different than all the rest of it, even the rest of his facial hair; his eyebrows and stubble. The hair of his head was always just, somehow darker. His black trench-coat too; there were splodges and patches from spills and stains gathered over years and years of use. His skin was pale, but very light freckles dotted his nose and under his eyes. Those eyes; orbs of intense brightly-coloured syrup, flickering with bits of gold and orange. He knew it wasn't a usual colouring for humans. He assumed they were not unique to Dib alone, and that Gaz and the Professor most likely had those same eyes. He wasn't too sure though, he'd never looked at either of them that long. Dib's eyes were the colour of everything he hoped his new life would be; earthy but ethereal.</p><p>"Honey." He responded.</p><p>Dib grinned, not really understanding what intense thought went into the decision behind the answer but happy his alien had come to one regardless.</p><p>"See? Not so hard when you put that <em>superior brain</em> of yours to trying!"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Well, I hope you guys like this chapter &gt;&lt;<br/>I like this chapter because I really enjoy seeing these three just get to be friends and do normal dumb stuff like play games and eat pizza...<br/>Tried to keep Gaz as in-character as I could, which only really resulted in me struggling with writing Dib, somehow??<br/>It's difficult to separate the parts of their personalities that they might grow out of, and what I need to keep the same, but I hope you like my version of the sibling dynamic between the two, as well as their friendship with Zim!</p><p>Anyway, next chapter will be more family-fluff time! This time with alcohol!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Even more Family-Fluff time</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Gaz's chaotic-neutral energy is strong in this chapter </p><p>and Zim discovering more about himself through human fashion and music is my kink</p><p>TW<br/>- Alcohol</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was a Friday afternoon and the two Membrane siblings were eating a cold lunch together in Dib's kitchen. They sat in comfortable silence, chewing on sandwiches, whilst Gaz swiped through notifications on her phone and Dib caught up on <em>Mystery Monthly Magazine</em> (he was reading a particularly interesting article on the existence of feral mutant manatees in the Atlantic).</p><p>Suddenly there was a bang as the kitchen door was flung open, a familiar little alien stood in the doorway wearing his wig and contacts.</p><p>"DIB-THING! WE MUST GO TO THE SHOPPING PLACE TODAY!"</p><p>Dib jumped in his seat and stared across the room at the intruder.</p><p>"W-what the?? ZIM! WHAT THE HELL? ...How did you even get in here? I didn't hear the doorbe-"</p><p>"Window." The alien interjected.</p><p>The young man was even more confused, "IT'S FOUR STORIES UP!"</p><p>"THIS MISSION IS OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE, DIB-THING! IT CANNOT WAIT FOR SUCH TRIVIAL THINGS SUCH AS DOORS AND STAIRWAYS!" He boomed dramatically.</p><p>Gaz looked up from her phone and rolled her eyes, glancing at at her brother, "Why don't you just get him a copy of your key, already?"</p><p>The young man sighed and laid his head on the table in defeat, "What is it you want, Zim?"</p><p>He had barely drank his coffee and only just picked up his sandwich when the idiot arrived. Groaning, and knowing that pretty soon he would no doubt be carted off to partake in whatever ridiculous plan the raving little bug had in mind, he quickly picked up one half of his lunch and swallowed it down in a few bites. He eyed Zim as the little irken paced back and forth across the kitchen, hands held firmly behind his back and strides long despite the small space, as though he were a commander dictating to the troops.</p><p>"Something you said to me last week has been plaguing my mind, Dib-Stink. You reminded me that it is true I am no longer an invader, and as such I am no longer entitled to wear this uniform. I am unfit for its glory, as much as it saddens me to admit. HOWEVER, THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AMAZING ZIM DOES NOT DESERVE CLOTHING BEFITTING ONE AS GREAT AS HE!" He proclaimed, giving the spiel as though he had been practising all week. He probably had.</p><p>"<em>That's</em> what this is about?!" Dib gawked at him. Gaz snorted and put her phone down to watch the two bicker.</p><p>"INDEED! SO WE MUST MAKE HASTE TO THE MALL OF SHOPPING! GIR HAS TOLD ME THAT IS WHERE ALL THE HUMANS GO TO ACQUIRE THEIR CLOTHINGS!" He slid over to the edge of the table and slammed his hands down onto it, eyes wide and excited like a child begging for a new toy, "LET US BE GOING! THE VOOT IS OUTSIDE AND ZIM IS READY FOR THE SHOPPING TO COMMENCE!"</p><p>The investigator deadpanned and picked up the other half of his sandwich, taking a bite and savouring it this time. He swallowed and looked at Zim thoughtfully. It's true that the alien needed proper human clothing if he really intended to make a life here. Dib's small amount of enthusiasm dropped again when he realised he would most likely be the one paying for the irken's new wardrobe.</p><p>"Fine." He said, defeated, "We can go to the mall today. But we are not taking the Voot, idiot. We'll go in my car."</p><p>"BUT THE CAR-SHIP IS SO <em>SLOOOOW</em>!" Zim wailed back at him.</p><p>"You want me to take you shopping, you follow my rules."</p><p>The alien pouted but nodded, "...Very well then. Zim will concede to travelling in the pathetic human land-vehicle. BUT WE MUST GO AT ONCE! WE ARE LOOSING VALUABLE SHOPPING TIME!" He finished, throwing a clawed hand in the direction of the door.</p><p>"Zim it's only just gone one-o'clock... we have plenty of time." He still stood up and went to grab his coat though, giving the pockets a quick squeeze to make sure his wallet was in there.</p><p>Gaz had watched all of this unfold, calmly finishing her lunch. She brushed the crumbs off her black denim shorts and stood up, grabbing a clean hoodie and tying it around her waste.</p><p>"There is no way I'm letting YOU take HIM shopping without ME, Dib!" She said, hands on hips, "This is gonna be hilarious and I wouldn't miss it for an all-you-can-eat buffet at <em>Bloaty's</em>." </p><p>"Sure... You can come too, I guess. But what is <em>that</em> supposed to mean?!" Her brother looked at her defensively.</p><p>Instead of responding she clapped her hands on both of Zim's cheeks and stared imploringly into his his purple contacts, willing him to understand how close he had almost come to running right over the edge of a very high cliff, "Listen, Zim... If there is one thing you really DON'T want to trust Dib on, it's his fashion sense."</p><p>Zim stared back at her confused and Dib gave a sarcastic laugh from where he stood by the door to the apartment, "<em>Ha Ha</em>. Very funny, Gaz!"</p><p>And just like that, the trio were climbing into Dib's car. Gaz called shotgun and forced the little alien into the backseat, claiming that he just didn't need to extra leg room anyway. Zim glowered at that but didn't actually complain, for once. He may have still been a little intimidated by the scary girl. They drove the few miles it took to reach the giant shopping mall in the centre of town, the siblings arguing over which music to play. </p><p>Eventually, Dib won and was happily humming along to <em>Blink-182's 'Darkside'</em> whilst Gaz bobbed her head along to the beat next to him. Once the song was finished, the boy gave a quick glance back to the alien.</p><p>"Hey, a few years ago... during the whole 'Florpus Thing'-" He saw a quick twitch of the left antennae and winced, "-well, me and Gaz were in Tak's ship and it was playing this pretty cool music. It was all like "<em>Schmoop-Schmeep-Schmoop, Spoobady-bloop</em>"." He tried his best to imitate the noises and failed miserably. Gaz just shook her head and laughed into a hand, but he ignored her.</p><p>"Anyway, it was super catchy. I was wondering if that was what all irken music was all like?"</p><p>Zim tilted his head and considered it for a moment, "What you are describing sounds more like Meekrob music than anything irkens would make. The ship probably just picked up the radio signals local to that whichever area of space you were in. Irken music is much more commanding and powerful."</p><p>"Huh, really? Can... you give me an example? Maybe sing a song for us?" Dib shot him a sneaky grin.</p><p>The little alien considered for a moment, apparently not put off at all by the human's light-mocking. Then he pressed a hand over his chest and opened his mouth, allowing a series of high chirps and clicking. It was like a mix of birdsong and crickets, but with a definite beat to it. Dib wouldn't call it bad, exactly... but he couldn't really understand what emotion the sounds were supposed to portray. It was short and once Zim was finished, he enquired further.</p><p>"So... That was an irken song? What was it about?" He asked.</p><p>"It is an ode that celebrates the might and strength of one of the greatest leaders the Empire has known, Tallest Miyuki." He explained matter-of-factly, "The song in English would be somewhat comparable to your national anthem, I suppose."</p><p>The young investigator furrowed his brow, "That... isn't what I <em>really</em> meant when I asked about music on your planet, you know?"</p><p>"Yes, I am aware. You were imagining something more akin to popular musics on other planets. Irkens don't really have that though. All of our musics are like this. They tell stories of great victories in battle or celebrate our Tallests."</p><p>Dib frowned, "So... You don't really have music that expresses emotion then? I suppose that kinda makes sense." He said more to himself than to Zim.</p><p>"That is correct, yes. I have never really understood the desire to convey feelings through various levels of rhythm and tone... at least not until recently. Since my emotional inhibitor broke, I have actually found myself listening to a lot of your earth musics." The alien carried on, looking at his gloved hands in his lap and smoothing over the seamless material.</p><p>"Oh yeah? So what kind of music do you like, Zim?" Gaz smiled, realising the conversation had taken a bit of a darker turn than intended and wanting to bring it back to a positive note, "Me and Dib kinda have the same taste in music most of the time... But when it matters, it differs <em>DRASTICALLY</em>. For instance, he likes <em>Lemon Demon</em>, even though they suck ass!" She smirked at the glare her brother shot her.</p><p>The alien shrugged, "I do not really know what '<em>types</em>' of musics they are... but I listened to someone called the 'Bonjo-Vi' at one point. I liked those musics."</p><p>"You mean <em>Bon Jovi</em>! Good choice, at least someone has taste!" She shot her brother another shit-eating grin.</p><p>Dib ignored her again and just nodded along to the conversation, "You might wanna try a few more classic rock artists then. Try <em>Alice Cooper</em> and <em>AC/DC</em> next!"</p><p>The purple-haired girl hummed her agreement and added, "He's a little bit different to those, but I get the feeling you'd probably dig <em>David Bowie</em> as well. He sings a lot about space and being kinda sad-but also kinda gay?"</p><p>"Gay?" The little bug tilted his head and frowned at her in confusion, "What is 'Gay'?"</p><p>"Lets save that conversation for another day, Gaz... We're already at the mall now anyway." Dib quickly interrupted, pulled into a free parking spot and jumped out to pay the metre.</p><p>Gaz grinned and leaned over towards Zim whispering, "<em>Gay</em> is what you say when you want to express gratitude to someone. You would say "I am gay for you" to someone who just... <em>bought you a bunch of new clothes</em>, for instance." She explained, giving a helpful smile. Zim nodded in understanding and returned it in kind.</p><p><br/>
-------</p><p><br/>
The two got out of the car and followed Dib over to the entrance of the giant building. Zim felt a little nervous to be going into a place with so many humans hustling along, bumping into one another. He stuck close to the siblings and tried to tell himself he definitely did not have a slight phobia of getting squashed under all the taller beings, too busy to notice a tiny irken like himself.</p><p>The boys let Gaz take the lead on the trip, as she lead them into the central zone of the mall and scanned a map of all the shops.</p><p>"Lets see... What kinda style do you wanna go for, Zim?" She pondered.</p><p>The alien shrugged, "I do not know. Zim has only ever worn the uniforms that his superiors gave for him to wear or the disguise-costumes for the missions. The only 'human clothings' I have ever worn were for disguises."</p><p>The girl pulled him over to a bench and sat down next to him, "Okay, so what kind of colors do you like? Do you want to keep wearing long sleeves or would you rather try showing a bit more skin?" At that question she chewed her lip thoughtfully, "In fact, do irkens even really have gender-specific clothing?"</p><p>The alien seemed confused for a moment, "Why would clothing be separated by genders? That seems unnecessary. No, on Irk female and male drones are given the exact same uniforms and everyone wears the colors of their assigned role."</p><p>Dib listened to him speak curiously, always finding it interesting to learn more about irken culture - especially when it didn't involve anything unmistakably nefarious and evil. He thought back to Tak and realised that she had indeed been wearing a uniform very similar to Zim's once she dropped her disguise. It had been purple however, but then he recalled her monologue about being forced to work as a janitor for years.</p><p>Gaz was deep in thought for an entirely different reason to her brother. Dib had never particularly care about clothing and trends, but she had. As a young girl she had always been drawn to darker looks and even now, her inner goth still won out sometimes and made her buy black lipstick and fishnet tights. She'd started trying to "lighten" her image in high school when she realised that maybe scaring literally <em>everyone</em> away wasn't the best way to gain a decent social life (and she wasn't exactly thrilled about being left alone in the house all day with the Professor at work and Dib off fighting Zim or hunting monsters). It had only half worked out, but now she had one or two more 'alternative' friends that she was grateful for. Even now though, there was something about her which most people still found intimidating. Regardless of her own motives for it, she still had an interest in the different styles people used as a way to express themselves. She studied the tiny irken sat next to her for a moment and sighed. It was going to be a long day if they were going to do this right...</p><p>"Okay... instead of trying to narrow it down beforehand, since you're not sure what style you'd like, how about we just go look at a bunch of different shops and you can take a look for yourself? See what sticks out to you, then we can go from there?" She offered and patted the aliens shoulder when he nodded uncertainly.</p><p>The three took off first into a more generic-looking shop that no one bothered to remember the name of. They looked around and Gaz picked out a pair of purple sweatpants for herself and a long-sleeved, black pullover for Zim. They tried the clothing on, neither really loving nor hating it, but Dib still ended up paying for both. After that they looked around a few more stores, picking out small bits and pieces here and there. Pretty soon, the little alien started to get the hang of it and eventually pointed out a brightly-coloured shop, with way too many things shoved into the display windows, called '<em>Neon</em>'. Dib cringed slightly but followed the two inside, hoping all of the sickly yellow-green and bright pink material wouldn't give him a headache.</p><p>Gaz and Zim ran through the shop, grabbing armfuls of clothes and accessories and rushing into the changing rooms. He didn't bother stopping the excitable little alien when he noticed him following Gaz into the women's side. The young man sat down and waited for the two of them to come out and twirl around in whatever scene-monstrosity they decided to go with. He was kind of surprised when they did emerge.</p><p>Gaz had on a black-crop top with a picture of a cat skull on it, a pair of checkered skinny jeans and a small foe-biker's jacket. She was admiring the items, saying how she probably wouldn't wear them altogether exactly, but each individual piece would definitely work with something she already had stashed away.</p><p>Zim looked great, though. Somehow, the alien had walked into a scene-kid's dream shop and came out of the changing rooms looking like his mind had just exploded onto fabric and created the outfit for him. He had on cropped black leggings and a long, vivid blue tank top that draped over his PAK and was covered in a pattern of neon-coloured donuts. On his feet he wore a pair of glossy, black boots with big purple bows, and over his hands he had on a pair of bright pink, finger-less gloves (that Dib would need to buy regardless now because his claws had ripped open some of the seams). The boy looked him up and down and nodded.</p><p>"You look good, Zim."</p><p>Zim's cheeks turned a light violet, "O-OF COURSE ZIM LOOKS GOOD! ZIM ALWAYS LOOKS GOOD!"</p><p>He snickered, "Of course, silly me."</p><p>He walked over to the cashier and asked if the two could keep the clothes on after he paid. Once that was over, the trio continued their journey through the mall. Now that Zim was getting the hang of things, he lead them to a few more stores. One was a sporty store with giant block letters that read '<em>SHOOTER</em>'. Another was a more alternative store called '<em>EDGE</em>'. Then there was the bright pink and fluffy nightmare called '<em>GIRL TALK</em>' that made Gaz want to throw up. The little alien found things he liked in all of them, and somehow managed to match items from each without any of it looking out of place. How on Earth someone could pull off a sparkly, pastel-pink tee with navy blue, '<em>Nike</em>' sweatpants and skull-print wellies, Dib wasn't sure. But Zim somehow made it look completely normal.</p><p>By the time the mall was closing they were walking back to the car, each carrying bags stuffed with clothes, accessories, jewellery and makeup. Gaz had insisted on teaching Zim how to draw eyebrows and apply eyeliner once they got back to the apartment. Even Dib had come away with a few new T-shirts and (upon much persuasion) a shorter black coat that he could alternate with his trench. They were in good spirits and remained that way for the rest of the evening, until Zim finally decided it was time to head home. He stuffed the majority of the bags into the Voot and squeezed in along with them before turning to look at the two humans seeing him off.</p><p>"Hey Dib!" He shouted out of the cockpit.</p><p>"What is it??" The boy called back.</p><p>"I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW I AM <em>VERY GAY</em> FOR YOU! YOU HAVE HELPED ZIM A LOT TODAY!"</p><p>With that he flew off into the evening sky, leaving a stunned and very, <em>very</em> red-faced paranormal investigator in his wake. Dib rounded on his younger sister who was laughing hysterically, tears streaming down her face as she clutched her stomach and cackled.</p><p>"<em>WHAT DID YOU TELL HIM THAT MEANS</em>?!"</p><p><br/>
--------</p><p><br/>
"What's this say again?" The boy held the monitor up to the alien, pointing out a line of symbols.</p><p>Zim gave it a quick glance before responding, "Reboot", and turning back to his own work. Dib pondered for a moment over the scanned-in notes that Zim had sent him that morning. He was jotting down in a little book all of the irken words that had slipped in, so he could translate them properly and not screw this up. After their conversation the last time when working on ideas for the new PAK, they had begun to make some real progress. Going through each design function one at a time and discussing the pros and cons of adding it. Dib was still unsure about the amount of drugs that Zim would be storing in the little machine, but the alien insisted it was necessary incase he needed urgent medical care at any point. The human supposed at some point they would need to find a source of irken medicine, under the radar of the Empire - either that or test out a bunch of human medication to see if Zim could use that instead.</p><p>The new PAK wouldn't be able to heal him like his current one once did. It would have some regenerative-healing capabilities programmed into it that would be powered by the shard in it's core, but in regards to pain relief and non-cosmetic wounds he would need to rely on what small amount of irken medication he could store within it and find a way to get to safety before treating himself properly.</p><p>The same thing applied to the chemicals and nutrients that his current PAK was forcefully weening him off of. The little alien had been hesitant at first when Dib suggested he not include them in the new design (in fact, he had flat out refused). But, once they dug deeper they found that the parts of the PAK responsible for prolonging lifespans and regenerating tissue damage were all down to electrical currents that could be replicated near-perfectly by the new energy source. The nutrients were more of an added benefit (or as Dib secretly theorised, insurance from when PAKs were first created to quickly force irkens to become reliant on them before their natural evolution caught up). What it really came down to in the end was: Zim did not have a sustainable source to make those nutrients and chemicals like the Brains did. However, all of this meant that Zim didn't <em>actually</em> need any of it beyond the very basic functions of what the PAK provided. He would need to sleep and eat more often than a human because of an irken's incredibly high metabolism rate, but he would adjust.</p><p>Once they had the basic functions out of the way, they got started on the more fun aspects of PAK design. Zim wanted to recreate something akin to his spider legs and lasers, and Dib agreed it would be a good idea. He knew the alien was incredibly skilled with them and that they would most likely come in handy if they were to face off against any terrifying monsters on hunts. The alien had a few other ideas on-top of that though, mostly inspired by his time on Earth: a waterproofing system for the PAK was definitely a must, as was a light source and more direct internet access. He also mulled over the idea of adding mechanical wings to the design, but threw that out in favour of keeping it more compact.</p><p>Dib got started on organising all of the notes and welding the base together, whilst Zim took to scrawling out designs for his new mechanical limbs. Occasionally, the investigator would take a break to look at the ideas the little alien had come up with. There were a few sketches that looked pretty much identical to his current ones, and then there were some really outlandish designs (just like the last time). This time though, Dib supposed that something un-apologetically different from his old ones might be a good thing. It didn't really matter what they looked like anyway. His personal favourites were a set of fluorescent blue legs that reminded him a little bit of glow sticks, as well as six sleek black ones with bright red tubing connecting each section. In the end, Zim settled on something else however. When he gave the final design over to Dib, the human boy had been pretty impressed.</p><p>He could not wait to see them in action. He knew Zim probably felt much the same way, as well.</p><p>The alien was currently working on the inner mechanisms of the PAK, crafting a core which would hold the shard he'd taken from the Professor's machine, and sculpting tubing and connections around it. It made Dib think about veins and arteries connecting to the heart, and he was completely fascinated by it - especially once the core began pulsating after the shard was added. Zim explained that it happened because the tubing was working to direct the flow of energy in and out of the PAK, and once it connected to his nervous system, through him as well. It was interesting - if a little bit gross and Frankenstein-esque when the young man thought about it too hard. His twelve year-old self would have been choking on the excitement.</p><p>Working on the intricate design of the life-giving device took up all of Zim's side of the project, leaving Dib to focus on making the PAK legs to the alien's specifications. He felt the materials he had been given to work with under his gloved fingertips as he took a smouldering iron to the raw metal. It was unlike any kind of natural metal he had come across before. Apparently it was called <em>Vorteranium</em>, a substance found only in ore on <em>Planet Vort</em> (one of the main Empire-controlled planets). Luckily, whilst it had become a pretty pricey commodity for most of the known Universe, all irken invaders were supplied with extra for PAK repairs should they need it, meaning Zim had a lot of the stuff just lying around the storage rooms of his base. It was apparently harder than steel, but much more malleable. The instant it reached a certain heat, Dib found he could mould it almost like clay. It took a long time however, because even with the protective goggles and gloves he'd been given, the human still found the heat needed to work with the metal to be unbearable if subjected to it for longer than an a couple hours every day. If he continued for any longer, he discovered he would suffer pretty severe heat stroke. The irken mocked him for his weakness and Dib retaliated by reminding him he could just throw the little gremlin into the ocean at any point. Whenever he wasn't working on the spider limbs, he busied himself figuring out how he and Zim were going to find the worthwhile cases and -hopefully- make money off his hobby once the PAK was ready.</p><p>So, for the foreseeable future, this was how they spent many of their days.</p><p>Gaz eventually got bored of spending days alone and bored in Dib's apartment. Once she'd completed all the new games she'd bought at the convention before arriving, she pretty much demanded access to Zim's base so she could bother them whilst they worked.</p><p>Currently, the teen was lying on the floor of the base and tossing a small rubber ball into the air. The ball had a scratched picture of a chicken on one side and it was safe to assume she'd liberated it from Gir's toy pile. After a while of throwing and catching the ball, she sat up and tossed it at Dib's head. It hit him exactly square in the centre and knocked him forward on to the desk.</p><p>"<em>ACK</em>! GAZ, OWE! WHAT THE HELL?!" The boy sat back up, rubbing at the spot the rubber struck him.</p><p>"I'm bored." His sister responded.</p><p>He frowned, "Then go watch some cartoons with Gir or something..."</p><p>"No way, that little robot has terrible taste in shows." She jumped up and strolled over, "Besides, you already did your work for the day. It's not like you can do much else here, and Zim's probably gonna need a break soon too." She shrugged, looking away pointedly.</p><p>He rolled his eyes, "Okaaaay... And what would you suggest exactly?"</p><p>She grinned at him, "You got ID?"</p><p>He stared at her, confused for a moment, and then frowned, "Really, Gaz? You're Nineteen!"</p><p>The girl folded her arms and pouted, "So? You were drinking <em>ALONE</em> at my age! Besides, it isn't like I haven't gotten drunk before anyway... Unlike you, I <em>do</em> have some friends." She shook her head and rolled her eyes.</p><p>Dib sighed, "It's illegal. Just because I did it, doesn't mean you should!"</p><p>"Aww, lighten up! It's totally legal, actually, in this state for minors to drink as long as they have the consent of their parent or guardian. Since Dad isn't here right now, I am appointing YOU my acting guardian!" She snickered, "In name only, of course."</p><p>"...I don't think that's how it works, Gaz."</p><p>"No one's gonna bother checking anyway, Dummy! We'll head back to your apartment, you can go buy a few cases of beer or some spirits or whatever it is you drink, and me and Zim can set up the place for drinking games!" She clapped her hands together and smirked evilly.</p><p>The young man rolled his eyes but gave a small smile, admittedly coming round to the idea even if his brotherly instincts were telling him not to. He supposed if his little sister was going to get drunk, he'd rather it be the three of them rather than with some strangers at a random house party. He tried not to think about her going out and drinking with friends at College, where he couldn't protect her.</p><p>He grinned at her, "Okay, <em>okay</em>! Say I were to buy us some alcohol... You really want ZIM to play drinking games?"</p><p>"I wonder if he's ever drank before?" She shot back at him, before looking over his shoulder at the little irken still hard at work and not paying a lick of attention to their conversation, "Can aliens even get drunk like humans can?"</p><p>"Guess there's only one way to find out, huh?" Her brother gave her a mischievous smile.</p><p><br/>
-------</p><p><br/>
So an hour later, the three of them were once again sat on Dib's floor in the living area of the little apartment. Zim stared at the mixture of bottles in front of him with barely-concealed disgust.</p><p>"Remind me again why you would choose to purposefully ingest poison?" He stuck his tongue out, picking one of the bottles up between two claws and holding it aloft so he could read the back.</p><p>"It's not poison, Zim... I don't know, it just makes you feel a certain way? Like, you can just forget about stuff for a bit?" Dib tried to ramble out an explanation, realising he didn't even fully realise <em>why</em>  exactly people drank, "Besides, if it turns out you're allergic to it then your body, or your PAK or whatever, will reject it and eventually flush it out like always, right? Then we'll know something else you can't have and you can avoid it."</p><p>Gaz cut in, grabbing the bottle of vodka Dib had pulled out of his cupboard and pouring shots for the three of them, "Here. We can start off with this... doing shots is the quickest way to get drunk, so if you really wanna experience it then lets just start!"</p><p>She passed one of the little glasses to Dib and then one to Zim, holding the third up to her lips giving a little eyebrow wiggle. The alien held the small plastic cup up a little and his antennae arched away on instinct, not even needing to be closer to pick up the vile scent. He nervously watched as the two humans put the little cups up to their mouths and Gaz used her fingers to count down from three. Once she lowered her hand, she and Dib both threw their heads back and downed the little drinks.</p><p>"<em>UCK</em>!" Dib groaned as he sat up straight again.</p><p>His sister took hers like a champ and shot him a look, "Pfft, Whiner!"</p><p>The both looked at Zim and he gulped, tilting his head back and shutting his eyes tightly he poured the liquid into his mouth.</p><p>He immediately regretted that decision.</p><p>His eyes shot open when the foul-tasting liquid hit his sensitive taste buds, and he instantly spat it out right at Dib. The paranormal investigator groaned but seemed unsurprising by the reaction. The little irken had his mouth open and was now clawing at his tongue in a desperate attempt to remove any trace of the vodka left in his mouth.</p><p>"<em>WAS THAT BATTERY ACID</em>?!" He screamed at them, staring between the two with hurt eyes.</p><p>The young man pulled off his, now pretty-wet, T-shirt and gave his friend a slight glare, "Did you really need to spit it on <em>me</em>?"</p><p>He watched as Zim opened and closed his mouth, rolling his tongue around, still apparently focused on trying to remove the disgusting substance. It clicked with Dib not long after and he ran a hand over his hair wondering how he could have forgotten. After years and years of obsessively watching Zim in school, he knew by now how acute the irken's sense of taste was, and especially when compared to his usual high-sugar diet, the vodka must have tasted ten times worse to Zim than it did to any human. He winced and felt incredibly guilty in that moment. If HE didn't like the taste of Vodka, he was sure the alien quite literally would have thought it was the worst thing ever. Gaz did not have any of this prior knowledge and was just left rolling her eyes at the irken' dramatics. Still, she figured that he might prefer something a little bit sweeter and quickly grabbed a couple of the more brightly-coloured bottles Dib had picked up at the store. Heading over to the kitchen, she pulled out a glass and added a shot of each into it, before filling the rest of the glass with orange juice. Then she returned and shoved the glass in front of the violently heaving bug.</p><p>"Here. Try this."</p><p>"Y-you... <em>DEMON-SPAWN</em>, YOU ARE TRYING TO POISON ZIM!" He growled up at her, pointing a claw accusingly.</p><p>"It's either this or water, Dumbass. But, I'm not gonna force you to drink alcohol if you really don't want to..."</p><p>The alien glared at the glass in front of him. It was bright green and smelled incredibly sweet, unlike the last one. Curiously, he took it from the girl and took a tentative sip. His antennae immediately perked up and he began to gulp the super-sweet liquid down.</p><p>"Hey, <em>W-woah</em>... You don't wanna drink it that- Okay, never mind then..." Gaz tried to explain before giving up when the bug had finished off the glass and was busy trying to lick the last of the liquid from the bottom.</p><p>Dib just snorted at the sight, "Should have figured you'd be a cocktail girl, Zim."</p><p>The alien only responded by shoving the glass back into the girl's face and loudly demanding, "MORE!"</p><p>She snatched it off him, glowering, "I don't take orders, <em>Bug</em>." But she still got up and mixed another drink, this time bringing the juice back with her.</p><p>"Just, try to take your time with this one. We still don't really know how much you can handle... and Dib only has so much orange juice." She shook the carton to make her point.</p><p>He took the glass this time, nodding and going back to taking small sips, albeit still a little too quickly. The two humans watched him and giggled, before beginning to pour their own drinks. Dib picked up the vodka and poured a couple of shots into a glass, along with some Poop cola. Gaz grabbed a can of some cheap beer, popping the top and gulping some down. After they'd all had a quick chug of their drinks, she spoke up.</p><p>"Alright. Game time... Let's see, there's probably no point in playing "<em>Never have I ever</em>" with you two idiots... "<em>Ring of Fire</em>" would require a few more people..." She mused to herself, "Hah! How about good, old "<em>Truth or Dare</em>"?!"</p><p>Dib rolled his eyes, "That's a terrible idea."</p><p>"What is "<em>Truth or Dare</em>"?" The alien asked what both humans knew was coming.</p><p>"It's basically where we go around in a circle and each pick one option out of the two. If you pick "Truth" then you have to answer one of the other player's questions truthfully and if you pick "Dare" then you have to complete whatever dumb task one of the other players gives you. If you fail to do either than you have to down your drink. It's a <em>REALLY</em> dumb game that dumb highschoolers play."</p><p>Gaz smacked him with a pillow and snorted, "You're just salty because YOU never got to play in highschool!"</p><p>"You're being such a child!" He pouted back.</p><p>Zim gave the two a toothy grin and nodded, "That sounds like a VERY entertaining game!"</p><p>"HAH! TWO AGAINST ONE, FUCKER!" Gaz beamed back at her brother, grabbing her partner-in-crime before he could scuttle away. It looked like it was going to be another case of '<em>ganging up on Dib'</em>, again. Great.</p><p>The investigator groaned, "Ugh... You're both such kids." But, he was grinning like an idiot as he shook his head, "Fine then. <em>Truth or Dare</em>, it is. YOU can go first, Gaz!"</p><p>The girl nodded, smirking and propped herself up on her hands, "That's fair. I did suggest the game. Okay, I choose... <em>Dare</em>."</p><p>Twenty minutes later, she was knocking on one of the doors a couple floors down whilst Dib and Zim hid around the corner. When the door opened to reveal a middle-aged woman looking irritated at being woken up just-past midnight, Gaz erupted into the first verse of '<em>The Time Warp</em>' (complete with dance moves). The woman slammed the door in her face before she'd even finished the chorus and the trio returned to Dib's apartment in hysterics.</p><p>"Alright... Um, next it's your turn Dib!"</p><p>"Okay. Hmm, I guess "<em>Truth</em>"..." He shuffled nervously.</p><p>Gaz and Zim looked to one another and hummed in thought, before the little alien turned to him with an evil glint in his eyes. He crawled over to the human boy, giggling under his breath, and whispered something in his ear. `Dib went bright red and chugged down his drink quickly. The other two chucked pillows at his head, before laughing at his cowardice.</p><p>Then Dib shot Zim a look, "Alright Space Boy, Your turn."</p><p>The alien tilted his head thoughtfully, before he responded, "<em>Dare</em>!"</p><p>Dib grinned, barely even having to think about this one. His glasses glinted menacingly in the dimly lit room and Zim instantly knew he had made a mistake.</p><p>"I dare you to call Gir and give him directions to your <em>super-secret</em> snack stash."</p><p>The irkens eyes widened and he hissed, "<em>BETRAYAL</em>! THIS IS BETRAYAL OF THE HIGHEST ORDER, DIB-STINK!"</p><p>"Take the dare or down the drink, you dumb bug!" The investigator shot back, grinning from ear to ear and shaking with barely-contained laughter.</p><p>The little alien narrowed his eyes at him for a moment, seriously considering his options. He could give in and take the drink, it was really nice anyway so it didn't matter... but that would mean conceding and admitting defeat! He scrunched his eyes up and grit his teeth, eventually pulling his communicator from his PAK and accessing Gir's internal line.</p><p>"HELLOOOOO????" The tinny voice came from the device.</p><p>"Gir, do you want- ...<em>I can't believe I'm doing this</em>..." He cursed under his breath, "GIR, DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHERE ZIM HIDES ALL THE BEST SNACKS IN THE BASE?!"</p><p>There was a pause before a high-pitched squeal blew out of the device, followed by a loud, "<em>YESSSSSS</em>!!! TELL ME! TELL ME NOW MASTER!!!!"</p><p>He clenched his claws into tight fists, eyes still tightly shut, "Go into the kitchen and climb onto the top of the fridge. There's a hidden slot in the wall behind there that leads to a safe... <em>THECODEIS28798907OKAYBYE</em>!"</p><p>As he hung up he just caught the words, "OOHHHH! So <em>THAT's</em> what it's for!"</p><p>He glared across at Dib who was still grinning like a lunatic, as his communicator slid back into place in his PAK.</p><p>"I hate you."</p><p>"<em>I know</em>~"</p><p>The three continued like this for couple hours into the early morning. No one was really keeping track of who actually won and, in the end, it didn't really matter. They lay splayed out on the floor (Zim even forgetting his germaphobia enough to be content with rolling off of the blanket he was originally sat on). The little alien lay on the carpet and stared up at the ceiling, letting his head sway to the dizziness whilst he tried - and failed - to take in the lyrics of one of the <em>Alice Cooper</em> songs Dib had decided to play for him. Gaz was slumped against the couch, her head lulling back onto the cushions as she swirled her sixth can around in her hand, absentmindedly. Dib was laying face down on the couch; muffled singing coming from his limp form.</p><p>"Okay, <em>Zimmy</em>~ It's YOUUUR turn again!~" The girl called.</p><p>The little alien rolled over a couple of times until he was close enough to the couch to hear her over the cotton-wool that he now believed had infested his brain.</p><p>"...<em>truuth</em>..." he drawled out, looking up at her with a goofy grin. She snickered and looked between the two boys; neither had any hope of ever holding their own and she revelled in the fact that they were now completely at her mercy.</p><p>"<em>Alrighty then</em>! Tell me how you <em>REALLY</em> feel about Dib!" She beamed, giggling childishly to herself. She heard Dib stop singing next to her, signalling that he was listening in on this.</p><p>Zim hiccuped and swayed a little, trying to meet her eyes through half-lidded ones.</p><p>"....he's <em>taaaaallll</em>... l-like... r-really TALL!"</p><p>There was a moment of silence and then both humans began laughing.</p><p>"What does that even <em>MEAN</em>?" Dib snickered, looking up to meet the alien's look with his own drunken one. </p><p>He got no response; just a few tired blinks before the little bug crawled back over to his favored blanket and rolled himself into it for the night, falling asleep immediately. At that, Dib pushed himself up off the couch and stumbled over to the bathroom, where he promptly followed Zim's example and curled up in the bathtub.</p><p>Gaz stared at the wall ahead of her and finished off her last can to the quiet and the rising sun.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>yeah I dropped in a reference to Vort Dogs, here you go - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pNO296X7eM</p><p>also Zim drunkenly staring at the ceiling with Alice Cooper blaring in the background is a first-hand experience and literally the only part I remember of my very first house party too</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. A Change of Pace</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Membrane family have a "discussion" (or: Gaz goes off on Prof. M whilst Dib has a panic attack)</p><p>Trigger Warning:<br/>- anxiety (for obvious reasons^)<br/>- I also give a few brief descriptions of work-place accidents (ie, machines malfunctioning and harming people)<br/></p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Ah! My little Gazlene, what a wonderful surprise! How is your study of <em>Digitalized Schematics</em> going?" <br/>
The Professor beamed through his high collar when his two children sat down across from him at the coffee shop.</p><p>"S'going fine, Dad." The nineteen year-old sipped her latte, savouring the shot of double espresso she'd requested on-top, "But it's still called '<em>Game Design</em>'... Just like it was last year."</p><p>Dib looked at his sister and sighed. She had found it all too easy to just run off to college and follow her own dreams. No pressure of their father's expectations on the youngest of the Membrane children. He didn't begrudge her that, though. He admired her.</p><p>Sure, Gaz might have found it much easier to gain their father's approval growing up, but it wasn't exactly from a lack of trying. Looking back now, Dib had always longed for the man's approval - but he'd always wanted to win it his own way; prove to him that Dib's own beliefs weren't as ludicrous as he always said. Gaz had been the total opposite to that in many ways. She'd spent all her time playing video games, sure, but whenever their father asked her to do something she always did it without question. She never doubted him. Her faith hadn't crumbled, not once. He looked at her now; at the woman she had become. Dib felt proud of his little sister. She had, and still did, achieved things he never could. She'd never had to fight for affection or acceptance. She was just always the Gaz she was supposed to be. He should still be jealous, but he really just couldn't bring himself to be. As a kid he had obviously watched his two family members interact with such envy and want; now he just couldn't help but feel his heart swell when he thought about how the girl before him now had left all of that to go and find her own path.</p><p>The young man didn't understand - couldn't understand - how she could do it.</p><p>He picked up his untouched mug of coffee and swirled it around, messing up the perfectly crafted heart that the barista had drawn in the foam, before putting it back on the table without being touched, yet again. Gaz eyed him with a slight frown.</p><p>"Yo Dib, You been up to much recently? Y'know, besides helping Zim with that... <em>um</em>, "<em>family drama</em>"? Got any good pics of the <em>Jersey Devil</em> lately?"</p><p>Dib winced at her total lack of tact. Not to mentioned the fact that it was an obvious segway - they weren't even in Jersey! Not that either his father or sister were really focused on that, though.</p><p>"Uh...Um, <em>no</em>... nothing yet, <em>haha</em>..." He tried to laugh it off, meekly.</p><p>"Oh Gaz, don't be ridiculous! We all know no such things exist and next fall, your brother will finally be on his true path to <em>REAL SCIENCE</em>!" He boomed, arms outstretched, and catching the eyes of one or two other customers. There was a mixture of people snapping pictures on their phones and some just looking mildly irritated at the disruption. Dib wondered if a public coffee shop was really the best place to have this little chat, he kept his head lowered and hunched his shoulders.</p><p>Neither of the other Membranes seemed to catch on to his discomfort.</p><p>"Give it a rest, Dad. Dib isn't going to do that... He already has a plan for the future..." She said easily, stirring some extra sugar into her drink.</p><p><em>Dib went cold</em>.</p><p>"Ah, So my boy has finally decided which course of study he wishes to pursue?" The Professor lowered his tone from booming to slightly-louder than necessary boasting once more and looked over to Dib with pride, "What is it then?!"</p><p>
  <em>He stared at his coffee mug, silently willing it to open up the <strong>void</strong> and swallow him whole.</em>
</p><p>Gaz looked between the two of them before turning to her brother in exasperation, "<em>YOU MEAN YOU HAVEN'T TOLD HIM YET</em>?!"</p><p>
  <em>The boy didn't move. <strong>Couldn't move</strong>.</em>
</p><p>"Told me what, Son?" His father looked back at him, expectantly.</p><p>
  <em>He thought his heart was about to <strong>stop</strong>.</em>
</p><p>The two other Membranes looked to him awaiting the answer, before the awkward silence become too overbearing.</p><p>Gaz rolled her eyes, "Oh for <em>fucks sake</em>... Dad, Dib is going into business with Zim! They're <em>gonna go hunt monsters or whatever</em>..." </p><p>The professor laughed her comment off and she noticed her elder brother seemed to shrink slightly against his seat, avoiding the man's gaze. Professor Membrane seemed to miss it, or perhaps he just remained in wilful ignorance, but it made her angry to see. She found it hard to believe that, even at twenty-one, Dib still found it impossible to stand up to this ego-maniac.</p><p>She spat out, "He's not going to University like you did. He's not spending the next few years of his life studying some shit he has <em>NO INTEREST IN</em>!" </p><p>"...Of course he is going to University, Gaz. That has been the plan all along. Dib is the heir to Membrane Labs... If you are jealous, you could always come work for me too. We have many different divisions, and I would be thrilled to have both of my wonderful children by my side!" He laughed heartily and sipped his tea.</p><p>She fell back into her seat, a little bewildered and mouth hanging open. How could someone so smart also be so dense?!</p><p>Noticing a few glances shot their way she sent angry glowers at any of the other customers who she caught staring. All the other people in the coffee shop immediately gave their table a wide birth and went back to their own conversations, albeit somewhat muted and forced. The boy next in the seat next to her looked like he wanted to speak up, but never actually did. It made her anger even worse. </p><p>
  <em>Why could Dib not just tell him?!</em>
</p><p>"Look, Dad..." She seethed, the lights above their table seemed to flicker slightly, "<em>It. Isn't. Happening.</em> Just because <em>YOU</em> want something, doesn't mean we all do."</p><p>The Professor looked between his two children, then began to frown and adopt a more stern look "This isn't funny anymore, Gazlene. I didn't raise you to be a joker, clearly."</p><p>"Heh, '<em>raise me</em>'? Clearly you <em>are</em> the far better comedian here." The girl spat back under her breath, before turning to her brother, "TELL HIM DIB!"</p><p>"SHUT UP! BOTH OF YOU JUST SHUT UP!" The young man jumped up from his seat, tears streaming down his face. Gaz backed up and stared up at him with horror. It slowly faded into a look of guilt as she chewed her lip and realised what she'd done.</p><p>Dib was clutching at the table, his shoulders held tense but shaking and his breathing coming out ragged.</p><p>"JUST... SHUT... UP... Shut up, shut up, <em>shut up</em>..." His croaked, his voice growing hoarse as the sobbing overcame him, "I-I didn't want... this to happen... I never wanted ANY of this to happen... I-I never asked to be... <em>to be ME</em>! I never asked to be a disappointment! I can't do this. <em>I CAN'T</em>!"</p><p>He gripped the table, his nails making indents in the soft wood. Little specks of blood began to dot his cuticles from the force of his grip.</p><p>"I can't do this right now..." He grabbed his bag and quickly walked out of the little shop.</p><p>"DIB, WAIT-" Gaz leapt up to run after him but felt a strong arm on her shoulder stopping her. She looked up to see her father, staring down at her. His face was still mostly covered so it was always hard to read his features, but the teen could picture the look of arrogance and denial in her mind's eye. She tore herself away and rounded on the man,</p><p>"WHY COULD YOU NEVER JUST LET HIM BE HIMSELF?! DO YOU REALISE HOW HARD HE TRIES FOR YOU?!! HOW DESPERATE HE IS FOR YOUR APPROVAL! YOU CAN'T ASK HIM TO BE SOMETHING HE'S <em>NOT</em>, DAD! HE'S NOT... <em>HE'S NOT YOU, OKAY</em>?!" She screamed, throwing her arms out and knocking Dib's abandoned drink off the table where it crashed to the floor.</p><p>The scientist flinched slightly at that.</p><p>She carried on, "YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN LIKE THIS! <em>HECK</em>, YOU STILL SEND ME GIFT VOUCHERS FOR SHIT I HAVEN'T CARED ABOUT SINCE <em>MIDDLE SCHOOL</em>! BUT YOU NEVER STUCK AROUND LONG ENOUGH TO NOTICE WHEN I CHANGED... <em>WHEN I GREW UP</em>! AND AS FOR DIB, <em>YOU CAN'T WAIT FOR HIM TO DO SO</em>! IT'S LIKE YOU DIDN'T EVEN WANT HIM TO <strong><em>HAVE</em></strong> A CHILDHOOD, SOMETIMES!! EVERYTHING HE DOES IS RIDICULOUS, YES THAT'S TRUE - BUT HE'S STILL YOUR SON AND HE STILL DESERVES YOUR <em>FUCKING SUPPORT</em>! BUT THAT WON'T EVER HAPPEN BECAUSE YOU'RE A FRICKING ASSHOLE AND YOU ONLY CARE ABOUT YOURSELF!"</p><p>She shook from the rage, clenching her fist and slamming it into the wall of the booth, "Thanks for putting me through college, 'Dad'. But once this year is finished you won't be hearing from me again. I came here today with Dib because I wanted to see if you had changed at all over the last couple years. But, you're still the same self-obsessed lunatic as you always were. Did you even notice that this is the first time you've seen me since I've been at college? For me it was barely noticeable... I got used to rarely seeing you. D'you think that maybe - just maybe, taking us out to eat once a year isn't exactly enough to be considered parenting?!" She shook her head as she finished, allowing the last of her words to sink in.</p><p>She stood up, drinking the last of her coffee and slamming the mug on the table; the handle snapping off as it hit, "You won't hear from me again after this. I'm done with your shit now. For <strong><em>good</em></strong>."</p><p>After that she grabbed her own bag, calmly walked over to the cashier and dropped a twenty on the desk, "Here's the money for the drinks... and a little extra. Sorry for causing a scene and breaking two of your mugs."</p><p>Then she was gone.</p><p>The father sunk back down in to his chair and silently drank the last of his, now-lukewarm, milky tea.</p><p>A timid waitress walked over to the table, "Can I get you anything else, Professor?"</p><p>He shook his head, feeling the judging looks that other patrons were now shooting at him.</p><p><br/>
---------</p><p><br/>
The purple-haired girl found her brother half a mile down the road in an old car park. He was sat against a wall, behind an old truck, with his head buried in his knees and his arms wrapped far too tightly around his lanky legs. She only found him because she heard the sharp inhale when she walked past calling his name. Pulling herself on to the top of the wall, she slid her legs over and let them dangle, looking down at her elder brother who was huddled against a corner.</p><p>"Hey... Can't be all too comfortable down there, right <em>Fart-Face</em>?"</p><p>"<em>Go away, Gaz</em>..." Came the hoarse response.</p><p>She sight and jumped down from the wall, squatting inches away from her brother.</p><p>"...I'm <em>sorry</em>, Dib. I shouldn't have said that." Biting her lip, she still found things like this difficult to say sometimes - but she had grown, and knew when to admit she was wrong.</p><p>"No. You <em>shouldn't</em>." He was trying to sound spiteful, but it came out sounding broken and defeated, "That was really shitty... <em>you</em>.. y-you're such a bitch, Gaz!"</p><p>"...Yeah... I know that. So what else is new?" She bit her lip and let herself lean back against the wall next to him. It was cold and hard. The tiny little bits of asphalt poked through her leggings and bit into her ass when she sat down. She pouted slightly, wishing she'd worn jeans.</p><p>The two just sat there together for a while until Dib had calmed down enough to be able to look at his sister again. She met his eyes,</p><p>"I'm cutting him off."</p><p>"W-what?!"</p><p>"I thanked him for paying my tuition, but I've told him I don't want to see him anymore." She explained simply, shrugging as though it was no big deal, "Not saying you should do the same, but maybe you should think it over, you know? He's never exactly been there for us anyway so it's not like it would make things <em>THAT</em> different."</p><p>Dib stared at her for a moment and then swallowed the lump still sticking in his throat, it was dry as desert sand and he wished he had his coffee still. He studied the girl's expression; carefully stoic and sealed off once more. He wasn't stupid. He could see this had clearly hurt her as well.</p><p>"Gaz... You should go back and apol-"</p><p>A hard slap struck him across the face and the girl with pinning him against the wall now, amber meeting amber in an intense staring match.</p><p>"Don't. Just <em>Don't</em>, Dib."</p><p>He rubbed at his sore cheek, "So much for being sorry..." he muttered.</p><p>"Oh, don't give me that. We both know you've been through much worse..." She rolled her eyes, "Listen, Dad could have stopped you. He could have said his piece when I was shouting at him just now-"</p><p>"You shouted at Dad?"</p><p>"-<em>Not important</em>." She looked around the empty car park and held out an arm, "He <em>COULD</em> have followed me out here and come after the both of us! <em>But he didn't</em>. He doesn't care, Dib. <em>Never did and never will</em>. Even if you <em>had</em> been his <em>perfect heir</em> it never would have impressed him! It would have just been adequate. Like... You <em>do GET THAT, RIGHT</em>?!"</p><p>He bit his lip and nodded, "Y-yeah... I think I've known that for a while now."</p><p>The nineteen year-old gave a sad smile, "We've always just looked out for ourselves... and occasionally, for each other. We don't <em>need</em> him."</p><p>He returned the smile slowly, "Yeah, you're right..."</p><p>His sister moved to sit back next to him once more, her head leaning against the wall, "When I go back to College, I'll get a part-time job and save up some money for when I finish my final year. Once that's over, I don't even want money off him anymore..."</p><p>Dib closed his eyes and sighed, "I'm gonna have to rethink a few things. I should have known just running off to hunt monsters with Zim wasn't gonna be that easy, huh? I guess I really am a bit of a <em>spoiled brat</em>... Dad's always paid for everything without us even having to <em>ask for it</em>. Now though, I'm gonna need to seriously think about how we're going to fund this."</p><p>The two of them sat there in silence for a long time, watching as the sky turned a pinkish salmon from the setting sun. Dib followed the clouds as they made their journey across the skyline and over the city's concrete horizon, letting the remaining tears behind his eyes dry up completely now that his outburst was over and becoming just another embarrassing memory in his life. It was only when a short, greasy-looking waiter from the restaurant across the street plodded over to his car to drive home that the two of them were snapped out of their respective trances.</p><p>Gaz snorted, idly playing with her hair, "I'm trying to picture you two getting normal jobs."</p><p>The boy grinned over at her, "Might be more likely than you'd think. Zim's done fast food before... Don't think he'll be too happy about it though. Maybe we can work something out if we find a few well-paying cases. But... there might not be time to finish his PAK before our first job..." He chewed his lip thoughtfully, "...and where should I live now? The lease on my apartment is done at the end of next month. I'm going to have to find some money to pay it or something!"</p><p>He was starting to worry again now so Gaz bonked him on the head.</p><p>"Stop fretting about it. Let's go to Zim's and chill out for a while before you start worrying so much about your new <em>adult responsibilities</em>."</p><p>She stood up and started walking, not bothering to look behind her but giving a small smile when she heard the light footfalls following at a slower pace.</p><p><br/>
--------</p><p><br/>
"Okay, I think I sorta get it. So when you have a broken computer you'd usually just get it repaired. If that failed you'd probably just scrap it or sell it for parts, right?</p><p>Zim nodded along to her analogy, "Correct."</p><p>"But what the Tallest did to you was more like pulling the plug out of the socket and <em>yeeting the entire thing out of an open window</em>." She finished off, tossing the alien a chocolate bar and throwing her other arm to gesture at the empty air beside her.</p><p>"I do not know exactly what that means but I believe you get the gist of it, yes" he tore off the wrapping and started chomping down on the sugary innards.</p><p>He'd been trying to explain the concept of his execution method to the girl for a good five minutes now. She finally seemed to grasp it but was now pulling a face like she'd just smelled sour milk.</p><p>"That's pretty fucked up, dude." </p><p>He frowned when she gave the same response as her brother but decided not to comment this time. Humans clearly did not understand the ways of his people, and he didn't want to make the Gaz angry by arguing. Biting the wrapper off the treat, he turned to Dib and watched the boy chew on a pencil whilst his eyes practically bore holes through a sheet of paper in front of him.</p><p>"I do not understand why you will not move into the base with Zim. You spend most of your time here anyway, and it would solve the issue, yes?" </p><p>Dib twisted the pencil in his mouth, "That's definitely an option, don't get me wrong. I'm grateful for the offer... But, there's still the issue of getting out of the contract on my flat now and finding money to live on until we get ourselves afloat. Since I kinda... <em>Um</em>...<em>ran out on Dad</em> after he found out I don't wanna take over Membrane Labs, I really can't expect him to pay for everything anymore."</p><p>"Then we steal the human's monies, yes? It is simple." He shrugged and shoved half the bar of chocolate in his mouth, believing the issue should be resolved.</p><p>"<em>NO</em>!" They both snapped at him and he looked between the siblings in astonishment. </p><p>"I do not understand... You have said before that your father-unit has such wealth he would not notice if thousands were to go missing..."</p><p>"Yeah, well... that's not the point, Zim! It would just be <em>WRONG</em>, okay?" Dib put his head into his hands, rubbing at his temples, "I can't believe after all this time you still don't understand human morals."</p><p>"ZIM CARES NOT FOR HUMANITY'S <em>RIDICULOUS NOTIONS OF MORALITY</em>!"</p><p>"Yeah, yeah... I got that, you fucking gremlin." The human glared back at him, "It doesn't matter. We are NOT stealing from my DAD, Zim. Got it?!"</p><p>"Then you will move into the base and share the <em>doggie bed</em> with Gir. We can simply steal more of the foodstuffs to ensure you will not starve." The alien waved his hand, apparently wanting the conversation to be over already.</p><p>"I'm not sleeping in- Wait, Gir has a Dog bed??" He stopped, more confused now than anything.</p><p>"<em>Focus, Dib</em>." Gaz called from her spot on the couch, not even bothering to look up from her book.</p><p>He shook his head, "Yeah. <em>Right</em>... No, I'm not doing that. Did you just say you steal all your food? H-how do you even get away with that...?"</p><p>"They believe it is the raccoons." The irken shrugged.</p><p>"...Zim, do you even pay taxes?" The investigator asked, shaking his head and squinting.</p><p>"Taax-Es...?"</p><p>He sighed and mumbled, "How is it that <em>NO ONE</em> ever found out about you even without me trying to expose you...?" He turned away, not really wanting to continue the topic and knowing it would most likely result in an actual argument with the mood he was in. He was really trying to be the adult in the situation and not resort back to screaming and fighting with the moronic bug like he used to.</p><p>Gaz however, was not trying to be an adult.</p><p>The irken screeched as a hard-back book collided with his head and sent him flying to the floor. The purple-haired girl was glaring at the two of them; her hands on her hips as she tsked and frowned at them both. </p><p>"W-why...?" The irken croaked, lifting a hand shakily from the floor. He lay on his back, fairly unhurt but apparently wanting to be dramatic. The girl rolled her eyes and walked over, nudging him with a booted foot. She grinned at the flattened antennae and puppy eyes she received in return before shrugging nonchalantly.</p><p>"<em>Didn't have any ham</em>."</p><p>Dib rolled his eyes at her as Zim got back up and brushed himself off, pouting at the teen and looking around for his lost chocolatey treat before noticing it disappearing into his SIR's mouth. He sighed in defeat and picked the discarded wrapper off the floor, passing it to a mechanical arm that came from the ceiling to dispose of the rubbish.</p><p>"Can't you just look online for any... I don't know, <em>haunted houses or whatever</em>? Just find something easy with a big pay-off!" She reached down and took her book, flipping through it to find her page and cringing at the splatter of bright pink blood left on the spine. Hopefully the campus library wouldn't notice.</p><p>Her brother pinched the bridge of his nose, "That isn't how this stuff works, Gaz. You can't just find an actual case that easily! This stuff takes time and research and-"</p><p>"<em>Found: Case for freelance ghost hunting, five-thousand dollars in cash</em>." A bored, mechanical voice droned from the roof of the little house. The trio looked up, apparently startled since it rarely ever spoke unless Zim needed something from it.</p><p>"Wait, you really found something?" Dib asked.</p><p>"I DIDN'T ASK FOR YOU TO DO THAT!" Zim shouted at the same time, looking irritated at the apparent-rudeness from his own computer.</p><p>"I'm getting sick of the three of you having this same argument... over, and over... and over again. Now that I have found you something to do, you can all leave me alone." The AI sighed. It sounded a little like a tired parent looking for some meaningless errand to send their child on.</p><p>"<em>SILENCE!</em>" The little alien boomed. The investigator quickly grabbed his shoulder and shook him.</p><p>"No, you idiot! Let it help!"</p><p>Zim narrowed his eyes up at the boy shaking him and pouted, "You smell like wet dog and desperation."</p><p>"Oh just SHUT U- OW!"</p><p>The computer spat a paper airplane, hitting Dib in the ear. He grumbled, straightening the paper between his fingers and saying a silent prayer of thank you that the sarcastic computer had chosen to transcribe the page in English rather than Irken. He managed to scan the first two pages before it was wrenched away from him by a clawed green hand.</p><p>"Seeking brave individuals to investigate dilapidated warehouse. Address and contact information below." He flipped the paper and frowned, "That's all it says."</p><p>Gaz lowered her book and stared at the two of them, "That totally doesn't sound shady as fuck."</p><p>"I gotta agree with you there..." The young man shrugged, picking up the robot and passing him back to his master. </p><p>He paused and chewed on his lip. They were pretty desperate, "But, you never know... Maybe there ARE ghosts in there. I'll do some research on the place and bring my equipment. Maybe it won't be so bad, we could even find something there!"</p><p>"Do not get your hopes up, Dib-Stink. Remember what the decrepit instructor told us in Skool - Hope always inevitably leads to complete and demoralising failure." The alien shook his head, "Yes, if only I had known how <em>true</em> that terrifying woman's words would come to be."</p><p>Dib frowned, "I still stand by my theory that she's actually a banshee." </p><p> </p><p>----------</p><p><br/>
Dib couldn't sleep that night. He stayed up late researching all he could on the old warehouse listed in the address on the paper. It seemed like it had been abandoned for at least ten years; bought out and sold on by many different companies and loosing value each and every time. Chances were that whoever currently owned it had gotten it at a real steal of a price. That was because every single time renovations were attempted, without fail, there would always be accidents. Originally, the building had been sold after a fire had overtaken half of it, a year later it was bought out by the <em>Count Coco-Fang </em>company to be used as storage. However, once work began on remodelling the insides it was reported that three of the builders had been injured in unusual accidents, one of which unfortunately dying after falling from scaffolding. </p><p>That could be excused as poor safety measures and bad business practices, but when it was sold on to the next buyers, similar things soon began happening. This continued as it was passed around another from buyer to buyer, dropping in price each time. Unfortunately, the latest accident had happened mere weeks ago. A surveyor had gotten his sleeve caught in the uncovered mechanisms of a steam-roller.</p><p>The boy grimaced at photographs taken of the scene and closed his laptop. Besides the two listed deaths over a decade, there had been many other accidents during that time that could have also ended in fatalities; a woman loosing both her legs after falling from loose scaffolding... an older male worker being electrocuted by faulty lighting... even a pizza-delivery driver had gotten trapped under some falling debris until workers had found him the following morning.</p><p>He could definitely buy that the place might be haunted by a particularly malevolent and powerful spirit, and knew that he and Zim had best keep their focus unless they wanted to end up in a similar situation.</p><p>He grabbed his phone and checked the time.</p><p>02.37am</p><p>Would Zim still be up?</p><p>Opening up the texting app he dropped the alien a quick message.</p><p>02.38 "You excited for the trip tomorrow?"</p><p>02.41 stupid-spaceroach: "NOPE"</p><p>02.41 "Could be fun...? Maybe?"</p><p>02.42 stupid-spaceroach: "GO AWAY, STINKY"</p><p>02.42 "Why? You sleeping?"</p><p>02.44 stupid-spaceroach: "CLEARLY NOT. I AM SPEAKING TO YOU, DIRT-BRAIN."</p><p>02.44 "Are you angry or do you just always type in caps?"</p><p>02.46 stupid-spaceroach: "CAN IT NOT BE BOTH?"</p><p>02.47 "It makes it difficult to read."</p><p>02.47 stupid-spaceroach: "GOOD."</p><p>02.55 stupid-spaceroach: "I WILL SEE YOU TOMORROW, DIB-THING."</p><p>02.55 stupid-spaceroach: "NOW GO TO SLEEP."</p><p>Dib put down his phone, smiling to himself. Maybe their first case together wouldn't be so bad.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Originally, the siblings were both going to lay in to the prof, but then I saw this really awesome animatic by shandzii and realised I wanted to make this a bigger deal than it originally was. More Membrane family drama to come in future chapters-</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKbf8wQgkjA</p><p>//don't worry, I don't hate Professor Membrane and I really DO want him to learn to be a better father, but it is going to take time and a lot of work//</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Case 1: A Presence of Malfunction (Pt 1)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The boys get their first job.<br/>It goes pretty badly.</p><p>General supernatural horror-esque shenanigans ensue, so if youre scared easily by those types of things maybe don't read this one. (Every "Case" chapter will have something of this nature tho, so be warned)</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I have a beta-reader now, lads!<br/>My adorably sweet boyfriend has decided to read and help me with this fic (The "Pussy-mobile" was his addition)<br/>We love and stan this boy here! &lt;3</p><p>Pt 2 will be uploaded soon, once I've finished editing. Until then, enjoy the cliff-hanger ending to this chapter that kept me up the night I wrote it! :);;;</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>That morning Dib drove over to Zim's house and found the little alien sat waiting on the sidewalk outside, tapping his foot impatiently. He pulled up and wound the window down, smiling slightly despite himself.</p><p>"Excited about our first case, Space Boy?"</p><p>"I am excited to get this done and over with so you can stop your fretting and we can return to working on my <em>new PAK</em>, Stink." The alien commented as he slid into the passenger seat and slammed the door. He glowered at the boy, the deep set-bags under his contacts looking a little darker than they usually did lately.</p><p>"Couldn't sleep, huh?" The young man sighed, "We're gonna need to be focused on our surroundings, you know? This place seems like it could be dangerous if we get distracted. You should try and get some rest on the drive over there. It's gonna be a few hours and we will most likely have to stay the night since that's when most hauntings are active."</p><p>"Zim is fine! I am focused and ready to face these blasted ghosties!" Was the response he received, along with a hard claw digging into his chest.</p><p>"Fine, whatever. You pick the music if you want... Maybe it'll make you less irritable. Just nothing too loud, I have a headache." The boy grumbled.</p><p>The ex-invader flicked through the radio stations until he found something he liked, settling on a soft rock channel and turning the volume down until it provided background noise to the rumble of the engine. You could just about hear the lyrics over it if you strained, but Dib was too focused on watching the road pass in front of them and thinking about the case to really care. About an hour into the drive he heard the soft purring coming from the seat next to him and glanced over to see Zim curled up in the cushioned fabric, one arm wrapped around the seat-belt as he hugged it close to his chest. His antennae vibrated slightly from the motion of the vehicle and every so often one would twitch as though tickled by the slight jostling.</p><p>The young investigator snorted as he took in the sight of his alien partner and turned his sight back on to the road in front.</p><p>Zim stayed sleeping until they pulled up the street to their destination, around four hours later. Dib ran over a speed bump that shook the alien awake and made him sit up in a state of urgency. His head quickly went from side to side as he took in his surroundings and his antennae raised rigid from his scalp to hit the roof of the car.</p><p>"Enjoy your nap?" The boy asked, smirking slightly.</p><p>"<em>Eh</em>? It was adequate... Not quite as uncomfortable as I would assume from your primitive '<em>Pussy-mobile</em>'." He focused himself on fiddling with the seat belt, trying not to feel embarrassed that he'd fallen asleep and woken up in such an undignified manner.</p><p>The boy almost crashed into the side of the road, "W-who told you I call it that?!" He sputtered.</p><p>"Gaz."</p><p>He groaned, "I don't call my car that, Zim."</p><p>"She said you'd say that. What's so funny about naming your car after an earth feline, anyway?"</p><p>The boy just shook his head, not answering. They fell back into a comfortable silence soon after as they pulled into a car park a few doors down from the old warehouse, outside a 7<em>-Eleven</em> with more than one broken window. The neighbourhood didn't exactly look like the safest place to be, but Dib's car didn't <em>exactly</em> look like the most worth-while thing to steal either. He didn't really share his father's love of showmanship and it hadn't even been washed in a while. They got out and Dib locked it up until they would return for the equipment after meeting with their mysterious employer. The young man had in fact called the contact the day before, but the voice on the other end had referred to a 'boss' that would be meeting them. He tried not to worry too much about the mafia-vibes that gave him and shoved his hands in his pockets, strolling over the street to the front of the burnt building with the irken in toe.</p><p>Zim stared up at the building, with it's singed walls and boarded-up windows it definitely fitted the setting of one of the few horror movies Dib had subjected him to over the last months. The small glimpses he got to the inside revealed it to be completely dark. He knew that inside he would be able to see fairly well, but his human would struggle, and in the dim light there were many places a threat could be hiding. They made their way over to the corrugated shutter and found it half-lifted already. The young man pulled it up further to reveal the door behind it and the alien put a hand on it only for it to slowly creak open. Newspapers were glued to the window in the door's centre, but the sunlight that shone in once the door swung open lit up a dusty hallway. The irken frowned and looked over to his human counterpart.</p><p>"I am feeling less and less certain about this, Dib-Thing." He scowled.</p><p>"Y-yeah... This place kinda gives me the creeps. Let's just take a quick look inside and if no one shows up and we find nothing, we'll just head back home and forget the whole thing. Sound good?" The boy gulped back his nerves.</p><p>"You said this place could be dangerous, Yes? Then why would we go inside and put <em>ourselves</em> in that danger?"</p><p>"Look, we kinda need the money. Besides, if we want to go on more cases together then we're gonna need to head into way creepier places than this. My main concern is the ad was just a terrible ploy by some crazy serial killer or something..." He reasoned, "And if that ends up being the case, Gaz is gonna speed over here in the Voot if I don't text her every ten minutes."</p><p>"...I never said she could do that." Zim frowned, but supposed the promise of a terrifying teen with irken lasers coming to their rescue wasn't exactly un-appreciated.</p><p>He took a tentative step forward into the dark building, looking back to the concerned little irken.</p><p>"If you want then you can just stay out here until I come back."</p><p>At that he quickly set off walking down the corridor before he could change his mind, sure that if his bravery wasn't enough to do this then his stubbornness definitely would make up for that. Unsurprised when he heard soft footfalls fall into line next to him, he glanced over to Zim and found the alien staring dead ahead in a mixture of concentration and anger. The further they headed into the darkness, Dib realised very quickly that he was going to be struggling to see much and cursed himself for leaving his flashlight in the car. He winced when his foot hit something hard in the dark and gave a pained cry, biting his lip in frustration.</p><p>The little alien gripped at the boy's shirt and started dragging him along when he stopped, "<em>Stupid, pitiful human eyes</em>..." he muttered under his breath, "<em>Ugh</em>... This place stinks like rotten eggs... or the dookie of the gigantic <em>Hogulus</em> beast!"</p><p>He lead the way further and further into the building, passing by few doors along the way. There wasn't much other than the dark hallway and their echoing footsteps, but when Dib finally managed to adjust to the dark, although his vision was still impaired he grew more used to his surroundings. It allowed him to pick up on something. The building was warm. It wasn't obvious, but it was definitely there. Heat.</p><p>The entire place seemed humid and a little too small, like the building itself was struggling to breath and the original architect had no idea of the concept of "air-flow".</p><p>Dib felt his forehead and wiped at the light sweat that was building up, panting softly. They weren't walking fast, but he was really beginning to feel over-heated in his large coat. It was so strange. The air outside was quite cool, and the old building clearly didn't have any working central heating.</p><p>The boy noted it at the back of his mind and decided to jot it down in a notebook later.</p><p>Eventually, a faint light emitted from the other end of their trek and the two of them found an open door, leading in to a large room of conveyor belts and discarded, decaying boxes littering the floor and surfaces. On one of the larger boxes sat a mat in a finely-pressed suit, messing with a cuff and grimacing at the damp surroundings. He seemed to be lost in thought to himself and only noticed the two when they stood in front of him and Dib cleared his throat to signal their arrival.</p><p>The man looked up from his musings with a dark grimace, "There you are! I've been waiting for well over twenty minutes now. Do you make it a habit of keeping a potential employer waiting all the time?!" He asked, spitting slightly as he spoke.</p><p>Zim winced at the man's high-pitched tone and nasally voice, taking a small step backwards as traces of saliva flew out of his mouth.</p><p>Dib held up his hands apologetically, "S-sorry... The drive was a little bit longer than I had thought when looking up the area and-"</p><p>"Yes well, apology accepted I suppose. Now then, down the business." The snooty man stood up from his box and clasped his arms behind his back, immediately walking away as he continued speaking and clearly expected them to follow, "You know why you are here, don't you?"</p><p>"Um, to investigate and look for any signs of possible hauntings? I already did some research on this place and found that-"</p><p>"No, <em>no, NO</em>! You two are here to <em>DISPROVE</em> THE HAUNTINGS!" The man stopped and sharply spun around, raising his arms in the air as he gestured at the garbage and rubble around him, "<em>HOW EXACTLY</em> am I supposed to make a successful business if these <em>ridiculous ghost stories are stopping people from wanting to work in hell hole</em>?!"</p><p>The boy and the alien looked at each other confused.</p><p>This time Zim spoke up, "But your advertisement demanded ghost hunters, yes? Not ghost <em>disprovers</em>."</p><p>"<em>HAH</em>! Please, I don't give two shits what you find in this DUMP! Just spend the night and tell the contractors that you found squat! You two will come out tomorrow to meet the building team and report NOTHING! <em>ZILCH! ZERO!</em> DO I MAKE MYSELF <em>CLEAR</em>?!"</p><p>The little alien was growing annoyed at being spoken to in such a way and was about to shout back when Dib interjected again.</p><p>"Hold up! You don't want us to report any findings that support a haunting?? You just want to pay us to stay in this place for the night?" He fiddled with the collar of his trench coat, "I mean, we'll do it I guess... But how much are you willing to pay us just for this?"</p><p>The man crossed his arms and gave a mirthless laugh, "When I get this place up and running the profit will be well worth paying a couple of idiots to sit in the dark for twelve hours. I got this place at such an amazing price, that I'm destined to make money off of it no matter what I do! So I don't care if I have to throw a few thousand at you-" Dib's eyebrows shot up at this but he stayed quiet, hoping the clearly-frustrated businessman didn't notice his surprise at the casual mention of that much money "-in order to get what I want! Let's say two thousand now and another three after you give your "findings" tomorrow. Do we have a deal?" The man glowered at the two of them.</p><p>Zim opened his mouth ready to make some idiotic (and maybe a little ironic) comment about the man's sheer rudeness, when Dib clamped a hand firmly over it. </p><p>"Deal." He said before the little gremlin had a chance to bite him.</p><p>The well-tailored man nodded briskly, took out a briefcase and shoved it at Zim. Opening it revealed stacks of cash and Dib suddenly began to get those mafia-vibes once more. Before he could voice his concerns the man turned and quickly walked out of the room, shouting back to them, "Just see that you spend the entire night inside this place. My team and I will be here at exactly seven o'clock tomorrow morning, so you best be outside and waiting for then!"</p><p>At that he left the two of them alone.</p><p>The young man picked up a stack and rifled through it, "...Seems real to me. No smudges or false marks. Probably should have brought an ultraviolet light though to check for watermarks, but I didn't actually expect him to pay upfront in cash. I guess he wants this to be an "under the table" kind of deal then... Suppose I can figure why."</p><p>He clipped the case shut again and looked around at the dank surroundings. There was a single overhead light-bulb that lit the room in a dim hue, and dust particles swam around it. The convener belts looked rusted and old. The boxes surrounding them were in various states of stability, some melting into the floor from water leaking in and forming small, black puddles around the room.</p><p>There was the smell of copper in the air.</p><p>Dib's phone rang suddenly, causing the two of them to jump at the sudden interruption of the silence they had been left in. He answered quickly and Zim winced at the screaming he heard from the other side. He thought he could hear nails scraping over a wall of some kind as a very angry siblings screeched from the other end of the phone-line.</p><p>"S-SORRY! GAZ, NO! YOU DON'T NEED TO COME HERE! I PROMISE IT WASN'T A SERIAL KILLER AND I'M ONLY LIKE A <em>MINUTE</em> LATE! Y-<em>yeah, okay</em>... okay. No, we're staying. The job is legit. No, I can't buy you or Gir <em>Tacos</em> on the way home since we're spending the night now. <em>What</em>?! ....JUST GO BUY THEM YOURSELF, <em>GEEZ</em>!"</p><p>He snapped the phone shut and shoved it roughly back into his pocket, turning to look at his irken co-part and grinning.</p><p>"We'd better get to work then."</p><p><br/>
------</p><p><br/>
Around half an hour later they were dragging in two duffel bags stuffed full of Dib's equipment and shining torches down the dark corridor. At the door on the way in, they discovered a set of keys labelled with numbers that correlated to the doors they'd passed on the way to the central room. Dib also discovered that the thing he'd stubbed his two on was actually a broken vent that had bee pulled from the wall, leaving a hole just large enough that he thought Zim might just be able to fit inside there. He figured he'd try suggesting it later; maybe after buttering the little irken up with some snacks from the store across the road.</p><p>They made their way slowly through the building, opening each door and exploring. Every time they came across a light switch one of them would switch it on, but it was always a fifty/fifty chance of it even working. Some of the rooms were lit up, but most remained pitch black and they had to rely on their torches for the majority of the job. The young investigator had brought all of his cameras, EVP machines and temperature readers. Every time they entered a room Dib specifically recognised from his research they set up one of each, otherwise spacing each out in every third room. Eventually, they had monitors in five of the rooms, total. This left them with Dib's prized motion-detecting, thermal, night vision camera to be set up in the centre of the largest room at the back - the one they had met "The Weasel-Worm" (as Zim had taken to calling him) in earlier.</p><p>"...I really need to get more equipment." Dib mused. He had collected all of this over many years, but this location was far bigger than any other in a amateur-ghost hunt he had ever been on himself. This was finally the real deal. He realised they were actually incredibly unprepared.</p><p>Still, if they were only here to pick up nothing on the readings anyway it wasn't like that even mattered.</p><p>He played with the wire of the final camera absentmindedly, worrying his lip through his teeth as he thought about how his first ghost hunt wasn't even a real ghost hunt either. Just some shitty guy trying to convince his workers that this deathtrap was safe. But, if they brought the findings that there really was no haunting to the table, and accidents continued to happen - then he supposed it would support future court cases against the asshole that hired them. There was always that.</p><p>He still couldn't help to be a little disheartened that their first employer was so blatantly uninterested in their research though.</p><p>It felt like they were working for all the wrong reasons on this case.</p><p>He stared at his hands and thought about the <em>not-argument</em> he'd had with his father, about his shitty little apartment, and about all of the real reasons he wanted to do this job. Groaning, he lifted his head to look over to the tired-looking alien working on setting up an EMF reader in one corner of the room. He was fiddling with a couple of different wires that Dib was almost certain hadn't been tangled together when he'd first handed the device to the little idiot. Rolling his eyes, he stood up and sauntered over to offer some help. It was rejected before he'd even finished his sentence, so he just took the device off the alien and finished hooking it up by himself.</p><p>"I knew perfectly well exactly what I was doing, <em>Dib-Shit</em>." Zim glared at him, "I have been working with machines for my entire life!"</p><p>"Yeah, Irken machines... I don't expect you to know the first thing about something like this so you don't need to be embarrassed when you do something wrong, you know?"</p><p>"ZIM HAD THINGS PERFECTLY UNDER CONTROL! THAT DOO-HICKEY WAS <em>SUPPOSED</em> TO BE STICKING OUT LIKE THAT!"</p><p>"Dude, I've assembled this myself countless times before. No it wasn't."</p><p>He just got an annoyed look, before the alien stomped out of the room, "ZIM IS GOING TO GET THE SNACKS NOW!"</p><p>Frowning, the young man grabbed his backpack and hurried along after him, leaving the camera to swerve in their direction as they left the room. The little red light on it faded once they'd exited the doorway and it's motion wouldn't be set off again until they returned.</p><p>"WAIT UP! FIRST OFF I HAVE THE MONEY, AND SECOND - WE SHOULD REALLY STICK TOGETHER WHILE WE'RE HERE, <em>DUMBASS</em>!" The boy called out after the bug.</p><p>They made their way out of the building and crossed the street to the 7-Eleven, pausing for a brief moment to look around once the doors slid open with a soft ping. Inside the store were a few isles of snacks and drinks, with a bored-looking teenager lent behind a counter and idly scrolling through his phone. He didn't even look up when they entered and Zim took the opportunity to pocket a few bars of candy before Dib caught him. The young man grabbed a basket from near the door and pulled a few bags of chips off the shelves, along with a couple large bottles of soda and some caffeinated energy drinks for himself. He didn't argue when his sugar-hungry companion dumped handful after handful of various sweets and confectioneries in until the basket began to overflow; at which point he moved the basket outside of the other's reach and shook his head at the pouty look he got in return.</p><p>He paid for them and bumped one of the three bags they'd gotten from the irritated teen on Zim's head, heading straight back out of the door when he heard the plastic crinkling as he reached up to take it. Once they were back inside the old warehouse, they settled in for the night. It was already late evening, and they had a long night ahead of them. Dib had brought up the idea of sleeping in shifts or setting alarms every two hours to check the camera feeds, but Zim had responded by complaining about the human's pathetic need to sleep every single night. The boy had refrained from pointing out that the alien now needed even more sleep than a human, and instead just relented and decided they both may as well stay up. It was only one night and if something did happen then they didn't want to miss it.</p><p>Throwing a couple of pillows he'd brought along against a wall and laying down an old picnic blanket so Zim may actually willingly sit down on the floor, Dib settled in for the night. He pulled his laptop on to his lap and opened up the feeds for each camera, allowing them to flash periodically through all the recorded rooms. Nothing had been picked up as of that moment but they were in for a long night.</p><p>"You may as well take your wig and contacts off. The EVP recorders won't alert us to anything like the cameras, so it'd be great if you could listen out for anything unusual." He stated as they walked back to the main room, which they'd designated as the base. He slumped down onto one of the pillows and rifled through a bag for one of his energy drinks but couldn't find any of them. Strange, he was sure he'd bought at least three cans of the stuff.</p><p>The little irken glowered at him, "You expect me to remove my disguise whilst we are surrounded by <em>cameras</em>?!"</p><p>He rolled his eyes, "We're the only ones who are going to be viewing them, you paranoid weirdo. Besides, your hearing is terrible with that stupid wig covering your antennae and we both know it. If we really have to present any recordings to the workers tomorrow, I can just edit them so you aren't in any."</p><p>Continuing to glare for a few more moments, before the itchiness finally became unbearable now that attention had been brought to it, Zim finally removed the wig and pulled out his contacts. His antennae shot up and wiggled until he had the feeling back in them. Dib watched amused, the 'lekku' always a point of interest to him. He let his mind drift whilst they waited for any alerts from the monitors. Even though he forgot it sometimes, now that he was so close to the irken - Zim really was an alien. The investigator just couldn't help it; that excited him so much that whenever he thought about it he realised exactly how much he wanted to ask the other about it. He wanted to know everything about irkens and any other alien races Zim knew about.</p><p>He watched as Zim's <em>lekku</em> shot up, reaching to hear some noise far below his human hearing range. The alien seemed to be focusing on something, his expression creased in concentration as he listened. The little irken seemed to be nervous about something. Perhaps we was letting thoughts of all the '<em>ghosties and ghouls</em>' put him on edge. Carefully, knowing how short his companion's fuse could be when he pried too much, he started out an idle line of conversation- partially to distract Zim and partially for his own interests.</p><p>"So... I know your antennae are used for hearing and picking up scents. Is there anything else they're used for?"</p><p>The other turned to look at him, mild amusement playing on his features and attention removed from whatever it was he'd just been listening for. As much as Zim tried to hide it under layers of annoyance when Dib asked him about things like this, the truth was he still loved to talk about himself. He loved it because it allowed him to reclaim a little of his pride as an irken soldier, as well as the many looks of wonder and amazement in brought to the boy's features. Despite not being anything like his father, Dib was still a scientist after all: a researcher. He wanted to learn everything he could about something that interested him.</p><p>And Zim was definitely, more than a little, flattered that he interested the investigator.</p><p>"They can sense vibrations in the air or through surfaces if I am close enough."</p><p>The young man nodded, "That makes sense... But are they used to convey feelings as well? Like sometimes they react when you get really angry or happy... or sad."</p><p>He thought that over for a moment before responding, trying to work out how to articulate the many ways irkens could communicate with their <em>lekku</em>.</p><p>"They are used to convey messages or show respect. For instance, irkens wiggle their lekku as a certain form of salute to our Tallest. There are different forms of greetings depending on the irken's rank, but I doubt a human would be able to pick up on the differences since they're so subtle." </p><p>He continued to explain when Dib silently willed him to go on, "If we are being rewarded or commended for our word they would do this-" he made his antennae bounce in alternating order, first one then the other, "-if we were being reprimanded then they would do <em>this</em>-" he forced them to lie flat against his head in a look of submission, "-but if we are attentive and alert then they would be stood straight up like this-" then he made them shoot straight up in a sharp, vertical line.</p><p>The boy's eyed were wide as he watched, "That's pretty interesting. Kinda reminds me of when bees dance for each other, uh-" He realised his mistake when he saw the sour look Zim shot him, "- w-what I mean is, it's <em>super cool</em> that you guys can communicate all of that without saying anything."</p><p>"<em>Hmphh</em>. Yes, it is." The alien said, his arms folded and still looking irritated.</p><p>Dib couldn't help himself from asking his next question, "What do they feel like?" He began to reach out a hand to touch the end of the one closest to him. Zim quickly turned and squatted on his haunches, the long black appendages flying back to arch against his scalp as he hissed at the boy.</p><p>"<em>Never. <strong>Ever</strong></em>. Touch my lekku, Stinky." He spat at the other, smirking slightly when the hand was jerked away and he saw a small twinge of fear cross the other's face.</p><p>"W-woah! Sorry, <em>sorry</em>!" Dib waved his hands in front of him in a sign of surrender, "I promise I won't try that again. I-I didn't realise that was a bad idea."</p><p>Zim allowed himself to relax back into his spot, now a little further away from the young man next to him.</p><p>"An irken's lekku are very <em>very</em> sensitive and we need them to live, <em>Dib-iot</em>. We are taught from a young age not to touch them if we can avoid it, as they are extremely delicate. We may be able to heal from almost any injury, but if we loose a lekku we would be unaware of incoming threats." He explained quickly, now much less willing to reveal all this information to his ex-frenemy. It was fun until he had to admit to his race's weaknesses.</p><p>The air was awkward and Dib decided they should focus on doing some investigating. He picked up his EMF reader and switched it up, standing up and lazily stretching. He turned to look at Zim who seemed to be in his own world once more. Chewing his lip, the boy began to flip the device over in his hand, mulling something over in his head.</p><p>"Hey... I'm gonna go see if I can get a read on any unusual energy in the area. This little device is used for reading radiation waves that could be caused by spiritual presence. Pretty neat, right?"</p><p>The alien cocked his head to look at him, frowning.</p><p>"...You wanna give it a go?"</p><p>He narrowed his eyes but stood up and snatched the EMF reader from the young investigator, prodding at a few buttons and pouting when it didn't immediately do anything. Dib rolled his eyes and gave him a quick lesson on how it worked, before walking out of the room.</p><p>"Come on. Let's see if we can get any readings as we walk around the place."</p><p>Zim followed along behind him, eyes glued to the device. It beeped now and then but never gave any solid readings.</p><p>Bored, the alien quickly decided the device was next to useless. He was jamming his claw against one of the buttons when he stopped sharply, turning around with wide eyes. The human took a few more steps but cast a glance behind him when he felt the movement. Zim was stood ram-rod straight, one antennae perked in a tell-tale sign he was listening to something and struggling to make out what it was. His eyes seemed to be set on the end of the hallway they had just come from and the EMF reader was forgotten and lax in his grip. </p><p>"Um... Zim? You hear something?" Dib asked cautiously. He glanced at the little reader and noted that it was showing no signs anything unusual was in the area. Zim looked over to him, head snapping as though he had forgotten where he was for a moment. He frowned and threw the electronic at the boy. </p><p>"Most likely a rat. This place is probably infested with <em>vermin</em>!" He sneered. Dib managed to catch the device, fumbling slightly and glaring back at the alien.</p><p>"Hey, this is expensive equipment, <em>pal</em>!"</p><p>The irken just shrugged. He grabbed the boy's arm and started marching them back to their "base". On the way past, Dib shot a glance into one of the rooms and noticed that the camera placed inside was turned off. He grumbled and pulled them both inside, muttering about stupid green-jerks not bothering to set up properly. </p><p>Zim didn't pay him any mind. He was busy listening out for the sounds he had heard just moments ago. They seemed to be gone now though.</p><p>Dib turned the camera on and made sure it was functioning normally, taking a moment to check the settings had all been adjusted correctly.</p><p>They made their way back to the large packing room and over to their pile of blankets and snacks. Zim flopped down, still sulking, but quickly livened up when he opened a bag of marshmallows. The young boy returned to flipping through the monitors on his laptop, but his eyes were growing tired. Looking at the same screens on a reel, searching for any remote change in each view. He took off his glasses and palmed at his face, trying desperately to not find this particular part of his passion so boring.</p><p>Eventually, Dib heard the tell-tale soft snoring of the little irken next to him and turned to find that the tired bug had fallen back asleep against one of the larger pillows he'd brought, the half-eaten pack of marshmallows spilling out onto the floor. He took out a spare blanket and laid it over the alien. He amused himself for a few hours by balancing his flashlight against a rock and casting shadow puppets on the wall facing them.</p><p>The silence in the building wouldn't be broken for quite a while. Dib was snapped out of his hand-shadow trance when his computer made the alert that one of the cameras had picked up some movement. He pulled up the feed and stared at it; nothing looked out of place initially. He turned the recording back and watched over the previous five minutes. He was into his third time viewing the footage before he saw it.</p><p>A shadow briefly appeared in the corner of the room for a split second.</p><p>Jumping up, he rushed over to the door and raced down the hallway to the door, his torch shining a shaky light that lead his way. His breath caught in his through as he reached out for the handle, reality suddenly crashing back down on him as he realised he'd just rushed off to a possible ghost sighting on his own and left his partner vulnerable whilst sleeping. Biting his lip and knowing that he really should head back and wake Zim up before they proceed together, his intense curiosity and need to discover won out and he pushed the door open.</p><p><br/>
-----</p><p><br/>
Upon entering the small office, the young investigator immediately knew something was off. Maybe it was the fact that the room was freezing despite the only window being firmly shut and there was barely a breeze outside of it, maybe it was the fact that the lights in that particular room had been working perfectly earlier but were now dimming and blinking to create eerie shadows from every object in the room... or maybe it was just the fact that the chair he had left in the very centre of the room was now upside down upon the desk in the far corner.</p><p>Dib gulped down the lump in his throat and slowly walked over to the chair. He laid a hand over it and felt the old wood beneath his skin. It was warm, unlike the rest of the tiny room. He knew what that meant. </p><p>He felt his head begin to spin when he heard something come to life from the room he'd left Zim alone in. Something that sounded old and rusted and mechanical. </p><p>The investigator raced to the exit just as the door swung shut on him and the lock clicked in place from the outside. The newspaper taped to the window seemed to illuminate as shadows danced and swayed behind it, creating silhouettes and figures that loomed over him against the moonlight outside.</p><p>Banging against the door with his fists, he heard Zim start to scream. There was noise from behind him and, as the young man span around, his breath caught in his throat when he heard banging against the glass from the outside of the building. He thought it was rain at first. Maybe that was why Zim was screaming. He knew that didn't make any sense before he even really understood what he was looking at.</p><p>Bodies were hitting the window from the outside. Torsos were slamming against the glass, rocking it and bending it. Limbs and gnarled fingers clawing against it begging to be let inside. He was sure it was going to smash if they carried on. They looked wet, dark and slick with something - leaving marks and prints on the outside that were smudged and re-written each time a new palm struck the surface.</p><p>The boy heard wailing. <em>They were screaming for him.</em></p><p>He thought he saw a face against the window. It was smiling at him as a gaping maw opened wider than should ever be possible and stretched across non-existent skin, pulling the features further apart and yet contorting them together into something inhuman and unnatural.</p><p>Back against the door, Dib screamed at the window as it was attacked mercilessly by whatever creatures awaited him on the outside. He couldn't look away but he couldn't stay there any longer. Forcing himself to lean all of his wait on to one hip, he braced his opposing elbow against the window pane of the little door before pulling back and giving it a rough hit.</p><p>It didn't break. He winced from the impact and used his other hand to grab the first and propel his elbow forward again with more force. This time the window cracked. With one more hit the glass shattered and the newspaper tore. He reached a hand through and felt for the doorknob.</p><p>The boy's heart almost stopped when instead of a handle his fingers blindly grabbed hold of something else. It was lifeless, yet gripped tightly around the handle of the door and holding it in place. He screamed again until his voice came out in a croak and pulled his bloody arm back inside through the shards of glass as they ripped into his trench coat sleeve, and tried desperately to rationalise what he had just felt against his own skin.</p><p>
  <strong> <em>A cold, dead hand.</em> </strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Case 1: A Presence of Malfunction (Pt 2)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Trigger warnings:<br/>- claustrophobia<br/>- malfunctioning machinery<br/>- blood</p><p>/there are two times in this chapter that zim is forced into tiny spaces that he definitely shouldn't be in/</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Zim awoke to a whirring and loud clicking sound as three of the conveyor belts throughout the room suddenly sprung back to life. Their leathery black tarp winding round and around the machinery as they pushed and pulled and spat out more boxes on to the damp floor of the warehouse. A putrid smell attacked his senses and he gagged. </p><p>
  <em>It smelled like smoke and burning meats.</em>
</p><p>The camera in the centre of the room began to shake on it's tripod legs. He could hear the shutter going off in fast procession, taking shot after shot off blurry machines and graffitied walls as it span around. He instinctively backed up further against the wall he was slumped against, slowly making his way on to his shaking legs whilst he stared between the various contraptions. </p><p>The window behind him swung open and a violent gale blew in, knocking him to his knees. The flimsy pane of glass flew shut once more before opening again. The other windows around the room began to do the same, creating a violent cacophony of noise that rumbled through his body. He looked around him, trying desperately to make sense of the situation.</p><p>
  <em>Dib was gone. </em>
</p><p>He was alone and being attacked by something he couldn't see.</p><p>The place was clearly haunted, and he was not about to let some stupid ghostie kill him before his own PAK did.</p><p>Bracing himself against the wall in a defensive stance, he fell back on his academy training and waited for any sign of a visible threat. The camera flew off it's tripod and soared through the air towards him. </p><p>The little alien sprang out of the way a millisecond before it struck him straight in the s<em>quiddlyspooch</em>. He did a forward roll as he landed and quickly jumped to his feet again. His limbs ached from the action, but adrenaline allowed him to push forward and race towards the doorway.</p><p>Metres away from his escape in to the hallway, he felt a sharp breeze rush against him like claws digging in to his skin.</p><p>He was yanked backwards by a harsh force. </p><p>Looking down the irken found that the skirt he was wearing was caught in one of the conveyor belts and tugging him closer to a large machine. Cursing, he pulled at the material and tried to tear it off. The fabric held firm and he only managed to somehow jam the pleated tighter together beneath the contraption.</p><p>He saw three flat, metal surfaces inside of the machine, quickly come down over the sides of a small cardboard box before it was spat out of the other side. Struggling and tugging at the thick fabric, he tried desperately to wriggle his way out of the grip the worn leather had on him. No matter how he twisted it wouldn't let him go and he screamed as he was forcefully pulled closer to the bone-crushing machinery.</p><p>The conveyor belt pulled him closer and closer until he was gripping the edge of the machine's opening and his claws hurt from the effort of scraping along the hatch. </p><p>His strength gave way as he was pulled inside.</p><p><br/>
------</p><p><br/>
Dib fell back against the wall of the room, his head spinning between the wailing forms throwing themselves at the window outside, and the little door that was now rattling violently as the force behind it shook it on it's hinges until he thought they were about to be ripped out of the wall. He'd screamed himself dry and closed his eyes, putting his hands over his ears and hiding his face behind his knees. He shook his head and tried to get rid of all the noises as though they were just in his mind.</p><p>Clamping his hands down harder and harder until he felt his head was about to burst and his entire torso ached from the strain, he eventually had to stop and release his tight grip.</p><p>The room had gone quiet.</p><p>He kept his eyes shut and forced his breathing to slow once more.</p><p>Remember Dib, Spirits are weaker than humans... You have physical form. <em>They don't.</em> That makes you stronger.</p><p>
  <em>The only way they can win is through fear.</em>
</p><p>Don't be scared of them. That is what they want.</p><p>Slowly, unwillingly, he opened his eyes again.</p><p>The room was back to how it was. The light lit the room in a dim - <em>but constant</em> - glow, and the doorway was now open. The smashed glass and ripped paper that clung to it was a reminder that what had just happened was completely real, however. He slowly and cautiously rose to his feet. </p><p>The large window on the wall behind him remained untouched. There were no traces of anyone touching or tampering with anything.</p><p>
  <em>The chair was back in the centre of the room.</em>
</p><p>It was silent.</p><p>He suddenly remembered hearing Zim's screams and bolted for the hallway once more.</p><p>Once he made it back into the main room he scanned his surroundings. Everything was quiet; almost too quiet. The little alien was no where to be seen and there was none of the chaos he had expected to walk in on. Things seemed to be exactly where he had left them. One of his energy drinks had fallen out of the plastic bag and rolled across the floor. Dib stared at it and felt his eye twitch slightly.</p><p>Nervously, he began to walk through the room. Taking slow and quiet steps, trying his hardest not to make any unwanted noise as he listened for a response.</p><p>"Zim...?" He called out in a hushed tone.</p><p>There was no response and he felt his heart leap into his throat.</p><p>"<em>Zim</em>...? A-are you still in here...?" he tried again.</p><p>From his left side he thought he could hear an extremely faint rustling.</p><p>Turning and straining to listen out for the sound, he realised it was coming from a pile of small boxes piled at the end of one of the conveyor belts. The young man made his way over and began lifting some of the top boxes off the pile and setting them to one side, until he came upon a box that was a little oddly shaped; bulging with twiggy, green knees and elbows jutting out of it at awkward angles. He quickly ripped the packing tape off when he heard muffled curses coming from inside the cardboard.</p><p>He opened it to reveal an incredibly uncomfortable-looking alien. Zim was all limbs as he was crammed into the tiny space. His body was twisted awkwardly with his legs and arms piled on top and his head tilted in a way Dib was sure a human neck would have snapped at.</p><p>"You okay?" He asked, giving the other a guilt-filled look.</p><p>The boy thought he was about to choke on the salt the ex-invader managed to throw at him in one simple look.</p><p>"<em>Zim is a box now</em>."</p><p>Dib placed the Zim-box on the floor and carefully pried his friend out of it, pulling him up my his forearms and biting his lip when he saw the other wince. Moving his hand away he found it covered in the irken's blood. Zim had a large gash on one of his arms; it was bleeding but didn't look to be very deep. They would be able to patch him up pretty quickly without much concern.</p><p>"Yeah? How was that going for you then?" He forced himself to ask, hoping to relieve some of the tension.</p><p>"Better than being a chair, I am sure."</p><p>He rolled his eyes at that, deciding that the angry little gremlin would be totally fine. He walked over to find one of his duffel bags and dug through it until he found his med kit. Zim, for once, didn't argue about taking the humans 'inferior medical treatment' as he followed his partner and allowed the other to clean and bandage the superficial wound.</p><p>"Well... at least we know this place definitely is haunted now, right?"</p><p>Zim felt in that moment that he wanted nothing more than to slap Dib right across his stupid big head.</p><p>
  <em>Friendship be damned. He did it anyway.</em>
</p><p><br/>
------</p><p><br/>
"So, there is a ghostie here?"</p><p>Dib nodded but then shook his head slowly, "Not just any ghost. What we have on our hands here is a pretty powerful <em>poltergeist</em>."</p><p>The alien cocked his head to the side and gave the other an incredulous look, "It is definitely <em>loud</em>, Dib... But I fail to see how that is the main issue here."</p><p>The young investigator ignored him and began to pace, rubbing at his stubble as he spoke, "There are seven signs of Poltergeist activity. Number one is '<strong><em>objects disappearing</em></strong>'..."</p><p>Zim sat down on the blanket and watched the boy pace back and forth, listening intently as he waited for some sort of weakness to their foe.</p><p>"Number two is '<strong><em>objects levitating or thrown</em></strong>'..."</p><p>The alien quickly pointed over to the ruined camera, broken on the floor a few metres away from them. Dib nodded.</p><p>"Number three is '<strong><em>strange scents and odors</em></strong>'... you said you smelled something bad when we first entered the building."</p><p>His partner nodded and added to the statement, "Zim could also smell smoke and fire earlier when the <em>polter-ghostie</em> was trying to crush him."</p><p>"R-right. Number four is '<strong><em>electrical interference</em></strong>'. You remember the trouble we were having with the cameras when we'd first set them up, right? They say spirits shy away from electronic equipment." He didn't wait for the alien to nod in acknowledgement before continuing this time, "Number five is '<strong><em>sudden power from no where</em></strong>'..."</p><p>"The camera came to life and starting taking many photographs before it tried to hit Zim." The alien offered, growing more anxious by the second.</p><p>The young man walked over to the camera and took out the memory chip. Rushing over to his computer, he jammed it inside the card reader and opened up the program to view the files. Flipping through the pictures he could barely see anything other than blurry shots of a terrified green alien and more cardboard boxes. There was one that was different.</p><p>He gulped down his trepidation and hesitated before tilting the screen so Zim could see it.</p><p>A humanoid shape stood behind a slightly-clearer looking alien, <em>one black arm reaching towards the irken</em> with fingers much too long and thin. He grabbed hold of Dib's shoulder from where he stood behind the boy, eyes glued to the image on the screen. He gave a gentle shake.</p><p>"W-what are the last two signs, Dib-Thing?" He all-but whispered.</p><p>"N-number six is... '<strong><em>knocks, footsteps or other unidentified noise</em></strong>s'... Zim, earlier on you were listening to something I couldn't here. What was it??"</p><p>The alien gulped, "Z-zim thought he heard voices..."</p><p>Dib bit his lip but had to ask, "What were they saying?"</p><p>"... I-I don't remember... <em>We should leave now</em>."</p><p>"Zim, what did they say?!" The young man turned around and gripped his friend firmly by the shoulders, giving him a wide-eyed stare.</p><p>"... <em>Join us</em>"</p><p>The investigator's grip tightened but he let go when he saw the irken wince slightly, sending him an apologetic look, before he turned back to look at the image on his laptop. He studied the figure and tried to quell his flight reflexes from kicking in before they had chance to pack up properly. Once they were outside, Dib knew neither of them would be willingly entering the building again.</p><p>"The final sign is '<em><strong>physical attacks</strong></em>'... We've experienced all seven. Definitely a <em>Poltergeist</em>."</p><p>"Great. So we can leave now, yes?"</p><p>He nodded and began to pack away their things, shoving the closest snacks in to one of the plastic bags but deciding to leave the rest strewn across the floor. The pillows and blankets didn't matter either he decided, as he tossed the bag of candy to Zim.</p><p>"We'll go room to room and dismantle the remaining cameras. Stick together, and we'll be out of here soon." The boy stated quickly. His friend nodded in agreement and quickly ran to grab the other duffel bag from across the room, eyeing the conveyor belt it lay near warily. </p><p>They made it to the third room with equipment inside, before the banging and rattling began. Apparently the ghost had caught on to the fact that it's attempt on the alien's life had failed, and was ready to begin round two. A door to their left flew open, knocking them both off balance and causing the human to stumble and fall on his behind. He looked up when he heard a screech, and watched a green blur sprint off down the corridor. Jumping to his feet he followed behind, but quickly lost sight of the other in the darkness. Dammit, Zim.</p><p>Stumbling through the pitch-black hallway, he had no choice but to slow down again. It seemed longer than he remembered and he felt his nerves clawing their way to the service of his mind again when panic set in. He cursed to himself, once he found that fucking moron he was going to wring his neck.</p><p>The adrenaline Zim had felt upon seeing the dark figure stood in that doorway allowed him to move faster than he knew he should be capable of any longer. All rational thoughts aside, his legs carried him flying down the corridor once he saw that twisted creature reach out to grab at him. In that moment he was alone again. On a hostile planet without anywhere to hide, as creatures hunted him down to tear him apart. Without thinking, he lunged forward. Feet pounding against the floor again and again, until the his soles stung with burns from the impact. Heavy, running footsteps were following close behind him and in his panic he couldn't tell how close they were getting.</p><p>It felt like he was running down the long corridor for far too long, passing door after door. He wasn't counting but he was certain there were never this many rooms along the hallway before. Each time he passed by another room he wanted to throw himself out of a window, but the violent rattling and wind surging against the weak glass frames stopped him. He continued his sprint, barely able to catch his breath each time a foot struck the concrete below him. He ran as fast as he could for as long as he could, never stopping or turning to look back. </p><p>When Zim reached the open vent they'd passed on their way into the building, he threw himself inside. The tiny irken scrambled and clawed his way further and deeper inside the ventilation system until he was pressed as close as he could be to the very edge of it. Eyes tightly shut and breathing ragged, he strained to listen for anything still following him.</p><p>His own breath was loud.</p><p>
  <em>Too loud.</em>
</p><p>It echoed off the walls of the tiny space and bounced back. He forced himself to hold it in for a few seconds as he fought to listen over the pounding in his chest. The footfalls had gotten closer at first and then passed by him and faded into the distance. Slowly, as quietly as he could manage he let his breath out once more and tried to push the rising panic back down to a manageable level.</p><p>He opened his eyes.</p><p>
  <em>And let out a blood-curdling scream.</em>
</p><p>In the tiny space behind the open vent, sitting across from him, <em>a human skull lay on the floor</em>. It's broken jawline grinning up at him in a morbid look of amusement at his terror. There were others piled behind it, along with various other bones and scraps. Their hollow eye sockets bored into him, unfeeling and empty. In that moment it felt like thousands of dead, staring eyes were upon him. He clawed against the sides of the vent, desperately searching for an escape as he backed further away from the vent hatch and the boned piled on it's opposite side.</p><p>Freezing, he looked down when he felt himself brush against something hard and scratchy. His hand found a discarded pelvis and a jerked away, head swinging wildly as he took in the sight of more skulls behind him. <em>Their chilly smiles leering up at him as his throat ran dry and heaved</em>.</p><p>Dib had passed by the vent opening and picked up his pace again once he got closer to the outside and the moonlight illuminated a little of the doorway, lighting his path as he pushed it open and made his way outside. He gasped and took in deep breaths of cleaner air. Reaching the pathway up to the crumbling, old building he frantically searched for Zim. The little alien was no where to be seen in the surrounding night. He squinted and tried to see through his dirty and smudged lenses, looking for any sight of green or dim pink glow.</p><p>He heard the scream a few moments later, and flew back through the doorway without even thinking. Racing back down the hallway and stumbling in the dark until he reached the panicked wailing coming from a little hole in the wall. Dropping to his knees, he felt around in the darkness and almost jumped back in fright when he felt a clawed hand reach out and grab at him. It was warm and alive but shaking like a leaf, as the alien followed it out and practically launched himself at the human. The two of them tumbled and Dib had to grab hold of his tiny companion before the other bolted again.</p><p>"<em>ZIM</em>! CALM DOWN! It's me... It's just me, you're okay... <em>w-we're fine</em>..." The boy managed to sputter out.</p><p>His alien friend stared down at him a few moments, no recognition present in his eyes as he was overcome by fear and struggled to escape. Dib held him around the waist with one arm and grappled with his backpack for the other, thankful that his flashlight was one of the last things he had packed away. He flicked the switch and forced his eyes to remain open as the bright light fell over the two of them. Zim stopped thrashing and his breathing eventually calmed as he looked down at the human's face, bathed in sickly yellow. He panted softly and felt the adrenaline drain from his overworked limbs as he collapsed against the boy in a fit of sobs.</p><p>"<em>T-the bones</em>..." He managed to get out, in between gulping breaths of fetid air.</p><p>"...<em>W-what</em>? Bones?!" Dib was confused, but gently he pushed the alien off him. He made his way over to the open vent and shone his torch inside, barely noticing when his partner gripped his arm so tight his claws punctured through his coat and just about broke the surface of his skin.</p><p>Inside the little space, the boy counted at least six human skulls and piles of other bones. One or two of them were a little smaller than the rest and he felt his blood chill in his veins at the implications of that.</p><p>Looking around the hallway, the rattling of the windows and doors had stopped. Without giving it too much thought he took the plastic bag full of candy and sweets, that Zim had somehow managed to keep a tight grip of during his panicked escape attempt, and emptied them out onto the floor. Then he passed the flashlight over to his co-part who held it in a shaky grip, staring at the boy as though he couldn't believe what the other was doing now. </p><p>Dib reached inside the little hole in the wall and began to pull the bones out one by one, placing them inside the <em>Seven-Eleven</em> bag.</p><p><br/>
-------</p><p><br/>
Dawn was breaking as the two of them made their way out of the old warehouse. Zim was practically hopping along as he leaned all of his weight on to Dib, far too tired and in-pain to care about how feeble he must be looking. The young investigator holding him looked like he was about ready to drop as well, wheezing from all the running they'd just done; maybe Gaz was right, he should really start working out some more. They practically fell on to the step of the building, Dib leaning against a wall and Zim resting against his shoulder as both tried to steady their breathing. They sat and watched the sunrise, eyelids drooping as it rose into the sky. Zim tried to fix his lopsided wig before their employer arrived, having shoved it on in their rush to collect the equipment.</p><p>The noise of cars screeching to a halt in front of them woke Dib up. He squinted and took his glasses off to give them a wipe, pouting when he saw the light crack in one lenses. He put them back on and looked up to see Mr Weasel-Worm headed their way, a few others behind him in more casual attire. The businessman made his way over to the two sat on the step, a smug look on his face. He failed to take in to account how battered and bruised they were looking and instead seemed more focused on the fact they were still alive. The boy frowned but only received a sneer in response.</p><p>"Your findings?" The businessman asked curtly.</p><p>There were three others total stood behind him, looking between the two ghost hunters and the warehouse with trepidation and concern. He figured these must be the contractors that the suit had mentioned. Feeling something stir next to him, he looked over to find Zim waking up and blinking his eyes open. The little irken seemed confused for a moment as he stared up at the businessman leering over them, but then he frowned and gave an involuntary hiss.</p><p>It didn't seem to bother the weasel as he tapped his foot, impatient to get this whole thing moving onward. He swung another briefcase by his legs to make sure it caught the two's attention. Zim watched the case and his eyes narrowed, but he shut his mouth and stopped hissing. He waited for Dib to comment but snapped his head to the side in surprise when the boy spoke.</p><p>"<em>We found these.</em>" The young investigator spat as he all but threw the bag at the man's feet, "<em>Human bones </em>hidden away in one of the walls."</p><p>The smug look on the man's face stiffened and he glowered at the bag. Zim searched Dib's expression and found it set in a snarl; he could smell the anger permeating off the boy in waves. He remained quiet, watching what was unfolding tiredly and wondering if the boy had really thought this through or if he'd just let his hatred of this suited worm get to him.</p><p>"S-so... there really was a ghost?" A heavy-set human spoke up from behind him.</p><p>Dib's attention moved to the new speaker and he gave a tired nod.</p><p>"But you removed the bones? S-so the area will be safe to work in now, <em>right</em>?"</p><p>He shook his head, "<em>Maybe</em>. But that isn't always how hauntings work... The spirit could be attached to the building itself or an item inside, rather than these bones. We don't even know these belong to the one haunting this place for sure, and we don't know if there are even more hidden away inside" He shuddered as he thought back to his experience inside the little office; all those bodies slamming against the window.</p><p>This wasn't what their boss had wanted to hear, clearly. He turned to the contractor who'd spoken up and clenched his fist.</p><p>"Are you really going to let these two dictate where you can and can't work?!"</p><p>The builder looked between the two parties timidly, then he set his resolve and turned to face the suited man.</p><p>"<em>YES</em>! I don't need any more of a reason to drop our contract with you, Clive. Money or not, this just isn't worth risking our lives over." He spoke in a determined voice, prepared for any backlash he was about to get from the other.</p><p>The businessman faltered slightly, before he regained his composure, "Well, If that is your decision, I will just find another company to hire then. Do not think I will ever be working with you on further projects again, <em>Dimitri</em>."</p><p>Dimitri just shrugged and turned to walk away, his men following quickly behind.</p><p>Clive span around to face the two exhausted boys on the step of the building, shaking with barely-contained rage.</p><p>"<em>We had a deal</em>. I suppose you will be forgoing the payment."</p><p>Dib shrugged, "Better than letting you put the lives of those men in further danger."</p><p>The younger man watched as his alien partner slowly got to his feet, placing one hand on his shoulder to support himself as he glowered up at the big-shot. He took out something from his pocket and wiggled it between two clawed fingers.</p><p>"<em>Oh, I think we will be taking the rest of that payment after all</em>~" The irken spoke with a musical edge to his voice, "After all, you wouldn't want this recording of our <em>first meeting</em> to find it's way to the Earth authorities now, <em>would you</em>?"</p><p>The two humans studied the small, grey square in the alien's hand; one quickly realising that the chip was completely blank. Zim must have pulled it out of one of the bags when he was putting on his disguise; the investigator smirked slightly at the irken's cunning. The businessman seemed less impressed, his face had turned white as he watched the little grean bean twiddle the "recording" between his fingers. Sweat began to bead on his forehead.</p><p>"Y-you can't be serious..."</p><p>"<em>Deadly serious</em>." Zim held his bluff, "Hand over the rest of the money and we will destroy the tape."</p><p>The hand clutching the briefcase shook, but he eventually tossed it over to Dib. The boy gagged slightly as it hit him square in the gut. Once Dib had a firm grip on the case, the alien dropped the blank SD card to the floor and brought his boot down on it. It took a few stomps but eventually the casing shattered. The businessman gave a short nod and turned briskly, stalking over to his car again. The human boy and the alien watched as he drove away, and sat in silence for a while longer until the boy began to laugh.</p><p>"<em>Clever</em>."</p><p>Zim turned to give him a smirk, "I know."</p><p>He was about to say something else, but their celebration was unfortunately about to be pretty short-lived. Zim swayed slightly on his feet, and Dib noticed that he'd turned even paler. He quickly jumped up but was unable to catch the irken as he fell gracelessly on his ass, head lulling back as he stared out at the sky and groaned. The boy's gaze travelled down to the dirty bandage wrapped around his arm, and he frowned when he saw little spots of pink seeping through it. He carefully unwrapped it and inspected the cut. Something which should have clotted and healed hours ago was still slowly seeping blood.</p><p>Zim stared at it and narrowed his eyes, "...I may have less time left that I first estimated."</p><p>The boy nervously moved his gaze up to meet the alien's, "What do you mean?"</p><p>"My biological body is... a-apparently unable to <em>heal</em> something as pathetic as this on its own any longer... And the fact that my P-PAK has not yet healed it can only mean one other thing."</p><p>Dib stared at him unblinking, "What's that?"</p><p>"...It means my PAK is putting <em>e-every, uh... every last bit</em> of energy in to <em>just</em> keeping me alive. S-soon my body will shut down as it finally has to focus... <em>hnn</em>... on my vitals... once it looses the ability to do even that, <em>t-then</em>..."</p><p>He didn't need to finish that sentence.</p><p>"How long would you guess until that starts to happen?"</p><p>"At a rough guess... Maybe <em>three weeks</em>?"</p><p>They made their way home quickly after that. Dib salvaged the rest of his equipment somehow, but they had chosen to leave the broken camera behind to decay along with everything else in that nightmare place. While Zim was resting in his base, allowing his computer to provide some medical care, the investigator took the bag of bones to the city police station and spent the majority of the day giving a mostly-truthful statement. He left out the parts about his alien friend and the money they were paid for it. It was late when the detectives were satisfied and he was finally allowed to leave. He made his way back to his quiet apartment and dropped in to bed, still fully dressed. Somehow, he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.</p><p>A few days after their night there, he saw a news report about another fire. No one had been hurt except a certain businessman who had been surveying the building, when the flames started up. It was speculated he had been smoking inside and somehow set the damp and rotted building alight. This time however, the entire place burned down completely. </p><p>No other bones or bodies were found.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>anyone figure out it was actually the box ghost all along?</p><p>//this fic is now a danny phantom crossover//</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Lost in Translation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Trigger Warnings: </p><p>- Forced Vomiting<br/>- Maggots<br/>- Panic Attacks<br/>- Hallucinations</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I really really struggled writing this chapter.</p><p>I'm sorry it's taken a while to get this one out. I said this fic was a stress relief thing for me, and I want to keep it that way. There may be times where I don't post a new chapter in a month or so, then there may be times when I update multiple times in just one week. Not even I know...</p><p>Anyhow, I hope you guys don't mind that ^^<br/>And as much as I love angst, I didn't realise how difficult writing a sick Zim would be. At least now I can focus on him getting better again and the boys going on more adventures (I have a lot of really fun cases planned out.)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Zim got worse over the next couple of weeks after their first case. He would fall asleep in the middle of doing something, zone out during conversations, and Dib once caught him about to throw Gir into the laundry along with his doggie suit. The little alien was so unbelievably tired at all hours of the day. His human friend tried insisting that he would finish work on the PAK by himself, but Zim shot him down each and every time he brought that idea up.</p><p>"Your feeble human mind has done well so far to keep up with the <em>basics</em> of irken technology, Dib-Thing, but do not think for a moment that I would <em>ever</em> allow you to delve further. As though your pitiful brain could even <em>keep up</em> with the concepts of the PAK, let alone complete my work for me!"</p><p>Dib only nodded along now, deciding not to comment on the fact that Zim had been attempting to place the exact same component within the inner workings for the past hour and failing repeatedly. His hands shook and the little metal cylinder dropped from his grip once more. The irken tensed and glared down at it as it rolled beneath his desk. He watched it go with a glazed over look in his eyes. The past two weeks had been more stressful, and the little alien was clearly beginning to loose hope. He stared at the spot he had dropped the rounded metal and fought back a tear, biting his lip until it bled.</p><p>"...This is all <em>pointless</em>. All this time Zim has been saying that this will definitely work... but truthfully, it should be impossible. Irkens are their PAKS. Our biological bodies are not able to grow and develop on their own." His legs crumpled beneath him and he fell gracelessly to the floor before he began to laugh drily, "I suppose to you, it would be like transplanting a new brain into a human body and downloading all the previous memories into it. It <em>shouldn't</em> work, right?"</p><p>Dib sighed and got up from his spot on the lab table and slumped down next to Zim. He was careful not to lean any of his weight on the little alien as he leaned closer to provide some small amount of warmth and comfort to his whimpering friend. It struck him just how frail the irken was looking now; sure, Zim had always been on the smaller side and was built like what you could only describe as 'gremlin' - with his skinny arms and legs - but this new version was gave a whole new meaning to the word 'small'. Zim was meeker lately; not as loud of active. Whenever he was prideful, it was only ever in regards to the great accomplishments and victories of the Irken race, never himself.</p><p>It was eerie and Dib didn't like it.</p><p>He had hollowed cheek bones and the skin on his arms was looking paper-thin. Sometimes he could see tiny purple veins running along it, making him shudder.</p><p>"Look... I think think things might go a little faster if you let me do more of the work. You could even stand next to me and direct everything. We've barely gotten anywhere this week, and we're running out of time. Up until now, you've been pretty damn certain thing is gonna work, and we don't exactly have any other ideas so this we're seeing this through - end of."</p><p>Zim only shook his head and laughed heartlessly again, but didn't comment on it.</p><p>"My notes for today are right there. Go ahead and try and make sense of it, stupid human. Zim is going for a lie down..."</p><p>The little alien sluggishly lumbered out of the lab and called for the computer to take him back upstairs.</p><p>Dib picked up the printed notes and groaned when he saw they were all written in irken. He grabbed his tablet and brought up the translator he'd added months ago; no matter how many times he asked Zim to print things in English some things never changed. Scanning the document, he slumped into his chair while he watched the program get to work. It should only take a few minutes, but he found himself staring at the irken lettering on screen still ten minutes later. Chewing his lip, he frowned and ran through the problems the program was having.</p><p>A lot of what was written simply did not have an equivalent in English. Nor in any human language.</p><p>"Fuck." He said softly to no one in particular, and glanced over to the unfinished PAK lying a few feet away from him on the desk. The panels were all open and Zim had clearly been adding some more delicate mechanisms into it before he began coding. He had been right; there was no way Dib was ever going to figure this out on his own.</p><p> </p><p>-------</p><p> </p><p>Zim slipped under the pile of blankets that lay on the couch and closed his eyes, allowing the pain in his head to subside for a few moments. He drifted off pretty quickly and relaxed into a dreamless sleep. He could never get warm enough lately, and the blankets itched his delicate skin, but sleep could never come fast enough, it seemed.</p><p>Shallow breathing came from beneath the sheets and his chest rose and fell gently.</p><p>It was with a definite struggle that he awoke hours later.</p><p>A sharp ringing was attacking his antennae and he grimaced from it. Sitting up and blinking the daze away from his vision, he frowned.</p><p>The room was dark and covered in a strange mist. Everything seemed slightly blurry.</p><p>He took a moment to close his eyes once more and concentrate, ensuring he wasn't just dreaming this in some post-sleep haze.</p><p>Upon opening them again he found that the room still looked exactly the same. Shaking his head, he decided to investigate once he was more awake and instead he forced himself up to stroll over to the kitchen. His stomach lurched at the thought of food, but he knew that he really needed to eat something if he wanted to continue working in to the night; no doubt Dib had been staring at his notes until his eyes were about to pop out. Sighing, he raked a trembling, clawed hand over one of the shelves and snagged a snack bar that dropped onto the floor. Bending down to pick it up, he thought he caught sight of something shift out of the corner of his eye: <em>a shadowy mass in the doorway</em>.</p><p>His head shot to glance in the direction only to find nothing there.</p><p>The little irken felt his spooch tighten in his chest. A feeling of being watched. He strained his antennae to pick up on any sound but could hear nothing.</p><p>As he waited in silence for a few moments, he forced his breath to calm. All of his senses were telling him he was safe and alone in that moment. There was no one - nothing - in there with him. The tiredness and stress was getting to him; that's all it was. He tried not to dwell on the thoughts for too long; any self-respecting irken soldier would never own up to panic and he was not about to start now. Slumping down into a chair, he ripped open the rapping on the snack bar and shoved it into his mouth, staring down at the smooth metallic surface as he did. He ran a claw over it and frowned, picturing Dib's kitchen table at the boy's flat. It was an old one he had picked up from something called a 'thrift store'; made from gnarled wood that curved and twisted in all sorts of unexpected places. He followed the path his claw drew on his own table and pictured the curving, ancient lines in the other.</p><p>Everything in his base was cold and metal.<em> Like him</em>.</p><p>
  <strong> <em>No. Not like him.</em> </strong>
</p><p>He had always thought that irkens <em>were</em> their PAKs. Their squishy, biological forms were merely vessels used to carry around the electronic brain. Some irken scientists even theorised that if a shell was left to life support and allowed to grow on its own without a PAK, then it would not grow at all. It would remain as it was.</p><p><em>Stagnant</em>. With no thoughts. </p><p>He would not - <em>could not</em> - believe that any more.</p><p>If that was the truth then...</p><p>                    <em>removing his PAK...</em></p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>    ...even if they succeeded in replacing...</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                                                                            ...He would..</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                                                                                                                                          cease to be.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>He had heard the humans refer to that state of being as a '<em>vegetable</em>'.</p><p>The phrase made no sense to him - what did the functionality of a person's brain meats have to do with edible Earth flora?!</p><p> </p><p>He shook those thoughts away and continued to munch on the snack bar in his hand. </p><p>A shadow shimmied it's way across the table and he looked down.</p><p> </p><p>Screeching, he dropped the half-eaten bar onto the shiny metal surface and flew over the back of his chair.</p><p> </p><p>Landing on the floor, the shuddering alien stared up in horror as a couple of the maggots followed him on to the floor; crawling their ways out of tiny little holes in the food. They dropped to the floor next to him and squirmed. Clutching a hand over his mouth, Zim felt a cold chill run through him. He retched and clambered over to the sink, leaning over it and forcing himself to dry heave straight into it.</p><p>Once he was done, he ran the water and brushed the involuntary tears away from his eyes, ignoring how much they were stinging now.</p><p>When he turned back, now prepared to deal with the small infestation and the out of date food (that was probably somehow Gir's doing), he found the half-eaten snack on the table.</p><p>It was untouched from when he dropped it. A few crumbs scattered on the table. But no maggots.</p><p>Slowly, Zim reached over and picked it up, turning it around his his hand. It looked perfectly fine.</p><p>"...Zim knows what he saw." He muttered to himself, tossing the item into the rubbish bin and curling his lip in disgust at the thought.</p><p>The lights in the room seemed to dim slightly; casting silhouettes and shapes across the kitchen. Steeling himself and tensing his shoulders; rigid and stiff, he cleared his throat, "Computer?"</p><p>"<em>Mm</em>?" Came the familiar, bored droning sound.</p><p>"What exactly is going on with the lighting in the base?"</p><p>"Um... What?"</p><p>"The lighting, Computer! <em>Why</em> is it so <em>dark</em> in here?!"</p><p>"Umm... It... isn't?" The confusion was evident in the electronic voice.</p><p>Zim narrowed his eyes and glared at the ceiling, clenching a fist. He felt an itching on his temple and began to scratch it. One antennae was flicking furiously against the side of his head, as he began to twitch uncontrollably.</p><p>"<em>UUuuurghh</em>! I <em>KNOW</em> IT IS! DO NOT LIE TO ZIM!" He snapped.</p><p>The computer hummed thoughtfully, but didn't comment.</p><p> </p><p>-------</p><p> </p><p>Dib awoke to find himself staring at a bunch of scrunched up irken letters on a balled-up sheet of paper.</p><p>Oh. He must have gotten so tired studying the notes that he'd passed out in Zim's lab. He'd not gotten much further in deciphering the hidden technology in the PAK, but he'd at least managed to translate a few of the harder phrases. It was slow, but his program had done it's job eventually; even if it had struggled with certain parts. Irken diction and dialect was completely different to any human language. He took of his glasses and rubbed at his tired eyes.</p><p>How long had he been out for?</p><p>Was Zim up yet?</p><p>He supposed he should probably check on his irritable host, and lazily pulled himself off his chair. The sounds in the lab hummed soothingly, and he quickly understood how his tired mind had found it so easy to drop off into a deep sleep in the underground lair. The elevator took him back to the upper levels, where he found an annoyed-looking alien, sat on the middle of the couch and scratching at his head. Dib frowned when he saw that Zim had managed to make some pretty rough scratches in his scalp and reached out to pull the other's hand away.</p><p>The little alien flinched and stared at him with wide eyes; clearly not having noticed he was there in the first place.</p><p>His spooch seemed to calm after a few moments as they stared at each other; Dib's hand hovering over the little irken's own.</p><p>"Oh... It's just you." He offered after a couple awkward seconds.</p><p>The boy frowned back at him, tilting an eyebrow in confusion, "You ***** alright, Space ***?"</p><p>Zim stopped short for a moment and could only squint back at the other, as he focused on trying to decipher the rest of that sentence.</p><p>He shook his head, "My translator must have broken now too... <em>Great</em>! Things just keep getting better and better!"</p><p>Dib quickly pieced together what was going on from the exasperated look and flailing arms that followed as Zim directed a barrage of chirps and clicks at some imaginary presence above his head. The little twerp didn't seem to realise he was speaking in irken and not English. The investigator tapped at his own ear and gave the other a shake of his head and a shrug. Zim slammed his head into his hand and emitted a long, drawn out sigh.</p><p>"<em>...Zim's... speaking device... is malfunction</em>." He managed after a while. Dib was a little impressed that the alien had apparently<em> bothered</em> to authentically learn some human language. Even if it seemed like he was struggling with it; it was quite admirable. Zim's native tongue was so fundamentally different; Dib wasn't even sure he'd know how to even form words in it. He nodded along to Zim's explanation and motioned for the irken to wait for him as he ran off. Heading back down to the lab, he quickly grabbed his laptop from where he'd left it earlier and hurried back to Zim.</p><p>The alien was impatiently tapping a foot on the floor, his antennae still periodically swishing about and twitching. Dib sat down and opened up his translation program, quickly typing out a message to his friend and switching it over to <em>Irken</em> once he was done:</p><p> </p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p><em>Your translator is broken? We can communicate with still this. I suppose all those years of hacking your security systems paid in off the end.</em> ^_^</p>
</blockquote><p> </p><p>Zim read over the irken script. He was, admittedly, more than a little bit impressed. He'd always known that Dib was a level above most of the idiotic people he shared a race with, but this was something else entirely. Judging by the terrible grammar, the boy must have manually input every single character and translation. It wasn't a perfect rendition of an alien dialect, like his own tech allowed for - which meant it must have been built piece by piece; an agonising passion project that had most likely taken years.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>YES, EARTH-MONKEY. WELL DONE. MY TRANSLATOR IS BROKEN. I AM SURPRISED YOUR TINY BRAIN IN THAT OVERSIZED HEAD WAS ABLE TO COMPREHEND THE SITUATION.</em>
  </p>
  <p> </p>
</blockquote><p>Dib glared at the screen and then at Zim, before pulling the laptop back and tapping out another message.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>I mean we dont MUST to use my incredibly brilliant irken translator... You could just carry on cheeping and waving at the me in hopes something eventually I will understand. &gt;.&gt;</em>
  </p>
  <p> </p>
</blockquote><p>The alien frowned and snatched it back.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>I WILL CONCEDE THIS ONCE, DIB-STINK. YOU MAY USE YOUR CREATION TO SPEAK WITH THE GREAT ZIM.</em>
  </p>
  <p> </p>
</blockquote><p>The boy rolled his eyes.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>Gee, thanks. </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>So what do you suppose to do?</em>
  </p>
  <p> </p>
</blockquote><p>Zim sat for a moment, tapping one claw on the keypad as he thought.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>We carry on work on my new PAK. This is just one more reason why we need it finished ASAP.</em>
  </p>
  <p> </p>
</blockquote><p><em>And hopefully, I'll be able to figure out what on Irk is going on with the base - </em>Zim thought silently, but didn't let on there was anything else wrong. Dib nodded and picked up the laptop, motioning to head back down into the lab, and the little alien got up to follow. He was relieved to find the lower levels of the base were a little brighter; the florescent lighting overhead illuminating the underground levels in a slightly-sickly glow. At least it was a little better.</p><p>The following few hours were spent sinking deep into their work once more. It was a slow process; Zim still insisting on completing all the smaller, delicate details by himself and complaining that Dib's <em>stubby human fingers </em>would just mess things up. The human boy helped where he could, but was mostly resigned to watching for the final, crucial parts of the PAK creation. The irken felt himself tire far too quickly, but forced himself onward. They were so close now, he could almost taste the relief as he trembled from the strain and the stress.</p><p>The paranormal investigator bit his lip as he watched his friend work. From observing, he had picked up one or two things, and he had a feeling he was beginning to see where Zim was headed with this. Days of watching his father work on various gadgets and inventions that were way above his own understanding had given him a sort of sixth sense for these things - <em>that little doohickie slotted into that funky-looking part</em>, then Zim would use some sort of alien tool to keep it in place. The monotony of it was actually starting to get somewhat calming to him. He leaned back in his chair and sipped at the warm mug of coffee cradled between his palms.</p><p> </p><p>-------</p><p> </p><p>A couple of days passed by like that; Dib watched as Zim got worse. Along with the finesse of his work, his English was the next to suffer. The alien began relying more and more on Dib's translator, as his sentences began to get shorter and less complex. Zim claimed it was just because he didn't feel like speaking much, but Dib was still concerned it may be the start of his mind slowing down. He remembered vaguely what Zim had been like when he'd stolen his PAK all those years ago. The memories were fuzzy; mostly overshadowed by the overwhelming feeling he'd felt to cause destruction and mayhem as a voice had prattled away in his mind. For a split second, he wondered if his exposure to the PAK had something to do with the creation of the translator. He had a shady memory of irken clicking in his brain, and yet somehow being able to understand perfectly. The compulsion to obey it's demands was something he didn't want to dwell on too much.</p><p>Zim was unaware of his friend's thoughts as he worked away on the little device. It was a slow process; his hands still shaking uncontrollably and not always meeting his commands. When he dropped the piece he was working on yet again, and his fingers spasmed and stung, he finally had enough. Standing, ignoring the slight wobbling feeling he felt for a few moments, the irken stormed off over to the elevator. He heard Dib's chair move behind him and quickly shouted out the word:</p><p>"SNACK!"</p><p>Thankfully, if there was one word irkens seemed to remember regardless of the dilemma, that was it, and it gave him a good excuse to escape the encompassing and oppressive atmosphere of his underground lab for ten minutes or so (even if they both knew he had no actual intention to eat anything). He strolled upstairs and plopped onto the couch, letting his mind be lulled by the inane shows Gir was currently watching on the <em>tee-vee. </em>The unintelligible garble of the brightly coloured cartoon animals did somehow put him at peace for a while. Gir was idly colouring a picture on the floor in front of him and he squinted trying to get a better look of what was on the paper.</p><p>
  <em>Himself. In a pool of indigo blood, with his PAK legs piercing through his chest.</em>
</p><p>He blinked and did another take.</p><p>
  <em>It was a picture of a taco eating a donut.</em>
</p><p>He must be loosing his mind already. The stress was eating away at him. Again, he started up scratching at his skin; the nape of his neck, the base of his lekku; everything itched and he couldn't help but give in to the urge to scratch at it. His antennae began to twitch; his left one swishing against his cheek. It felt like there was something nearby he just couldn't quite pick up on; something watching him. <em>Something creeping up on him.</em></p><p>Glancing over to Gir again, his spooch felt like stone. The SIR unit was stood in the centre of the room, staring at him with blank red eyes.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>He was covered in crimson blood.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Zim sprang back on the couch; his breath catching in his throat. The red liquid oozed down the robot's metallic form, as he stood there: static.</p><p>"I love this show."</p><p>A blink later, and Gir was back in his spot on the floor. His crayon had halted on the page and he was staring at the screen in front of them.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                                                              Zim knew something was wrong.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                             Something was here with them.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>                                                                                                  Hunting him.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Forcefully, he sat himself back and pushed into the couch as far as he could, eyes still locked on Girs'; as though he was terrified that if he were to look away for a second then the scarlet-eyed demon would return and jump him. He pulled his knees close to his chest, feeling the breath rise and fall in his chest as he pulled them as tightly to him as he could manage. The little alien sat there, stone-still with gritted teeth. Gir watched him puzzled and a little concerned. The SIR unit observed his master as he shuddered and stared around the room. He looked in the corners that Zim looked, trying desperately to see what it was that his master was so frightened by.</p><p>He saw nothing.</p><p> </p><p>------</p><p> </p><p>Dib was hovering over the half-finished PAK, contemplating how much Zim would yell at him if he touched the thing. He just knew he could help if the moron would only let him.</p><p>That was when the computer's voice alerted him, "Zim has passed out."</p><p>The young man stopped his contemplation and jumped into the elevator. When he got upstairs, he found Gir running circles around the alien's unconscious body and flailing his arms around while screeching. He bent down and picked the little robot up, placing him on the couch and making a shushing motion with his hand.</p><p>"Gir, what did we talk about?"</p><p>The SIR unit whispered back, "We need to be quiet when Master is sleepy because he needs to rest."</p><p>The mimicked voice and the way the little guy copied Dib's hand gesture and raised his own appendage to his mouth was adorable, but they really didn't have to time. Dib knelt down beside Zim and checked him over; still breathing. Good. As far as he could tell, nothing seemed broken - luckily, even without the ridiculous amounts of chemicals, irkens definitely were resilient. He carefully picked his friend up and laid him on the couch, grabbing a glass of extra-sugary soda for when Zim woke up.</p><p>It took a few minutes but, eventually, the irken's eyes fluttered open and he groaned, head moving slowly to the side as he took in his surroundings.</p><p>Then, almost as if he'd been shot by lightening, he bolted upright and leapt onto the head of the couch; crouching with his back raised like a scared cat.</p><p>"W-woah... Zim... Calm down. You're okay... What happened?" Dib raised his hands; trying to sound as convincing as possible, whilst his own heart hammered against his chest. It took him a few moments longer than it should have to realise that the irken probably couldn't understand a word he was saying right now; even with the slight grasp of English he had, he could hardly expect Zim to be multi-lingual in the midst of a panic attack. Still, Zim did seem to recognise his presence and the soothing sounds of the words, as he slowly started to relax again. His breathing returned to normal and he suddenly started to sway on his perch. Slumping forward, he rolled back on to the couch and, seething slightly, put a hand to his forehead. The poor guy probably had a terrible migraine.</p><p>Dib picked up the glass and pushed it in front of Zim's face. He took it gladly and downed the liquid, perking up slightly at the sugar and giving a few soft clicks and chirps in response. Once the investigator was certain that whatever had happened had passed, he turned his gaze to the television screen in front of them; ignoring the paused image of an ugly-looking cartoon rabbit.</p><p>"Computer? Any idea what just happened to Zim?" He asked aloud.</p><p>"I have been monitoring his brain patterns for the last few days and finally have enough conclusive results. Zim is experiencing hallucinations due to his ocular implants no longer being powered by his PAK." The A.I explained clinically. An image popped up on the television screen of what seemed to be a diagram: an irken head that displayed the biological brain and the technological components of the eyes that were hooked up to the PAK via the nervous system. A few seconds later, it seemingly explained the same thing to Zim, in irken. The alien seemed to get angry about that but, after a moment of pause, a look of understanding and relief flashed over his features.</p><p>Dib had no idea this had been happening. He didn't know whether to feel worried about his friend or incredibly pissed off that the idiot hadn't said something sooner to him.</p><p>Well, had Zim even understood what had been happening to him?</p><p>If Irken technology was held to such a high standard, was it uncommon for them to experience things such as this?</p><p>He really wished he could get back to grilling Zim on Irken biology and culture; but they unfortunately had bigger things to worry about at that moment in time. He settled for directing all of his questions at the irritated A.I instead.</p><p>"So, why did that cause him to faint? And, if his PAK powers his eyes then how come he isn't totally blind?"</p><p>A tired sigh, as the screen in front of them switched to a recording of the front room around half an hour earlier:</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Zim wondered in to the room and flopped on to the couch. He seemed to get irritated by something, itching at the sides and back of his head. Then he started looking around him; looking more freaked out every second.</em>
</p><p>Dib wondered how he'd missed this if it really had been going on for days.</p><p> </p><p><em>The little alien then stood up and backed up against the wall, eyes wide as he stared at whatever he could see stood before him. Frantic chirping could be heard coming from Zim, as he attempted to speak. </em> <em>Before long, the PAK legs emerged and flew forward as though to strike at the air - before, his PAK clicked and gave a shrill wail. His PAK legs retracted and Zim's eyes rolled around as he fell forward in to the centre of the floor. Gir had been watching this play out and ran over to his master, rolling him over on to his back and shouting in his face, to no avail.</em></p><p> </p><p>The recording ended and the screen went blank.</p><p>Zim sat on the edge of the couch, staring at it with a hand clamped over his mouth.</p><p>"As you can see, the strain the PAK legs put on his body caused him to faint and collapse." The computer finished in English, before quickly giving a translation in Irken. That seemingly lifted a strain off of Zim, as he visibly deflated and allowed his head to lull back against the couch.</p><p>
  <em>He wasn't going crazy.</em>
</p><p>It was just his stupid brain meats trying to fill in for the loss of his ocular implants.</p><p> </p><p>Dib was feeling a lot less relieved. They <em>needed</em> to finish work on the new PAK - fast.</p><p>Once Zim had finished the drink, he grabbed his wrist, hauled him up (much to the alien's angry protesting as he was lifted up in the young man's arms) and rushed off to the lab once more.</p><p> </p><p>-----</p><p> </p><p>Zim felt a rush from his spooch to his head as Dib lifted him up; letting out an alarmed chirp and eyes going wide. Thankfully, neither noticed the blush blooming on his cheeks as strong arms held him; but once he'd swallowed enough of his pride to allow any other thoughts, Zim couldn't help but notice the differences between them again. Dib was so tall and strong. Right now he felt that even more; his own body deteriorating further and further. He tried not to dwell on it for too long; those thoughts lead inevitably to the cold fact that, if his friend had been another irken, he most certainly would have been left for dead in his current state.</p><p>
  <em>It was shameful to be so weak. </em>
</p><p>They made their way down into the lower levels of the base once more and Zim was even more confused when Dib plopped him down, not on his usual seat, but on the table itself - just far enough to watch over the work. He frowned and looked over to the boy, who was busily typing out a message on his laptop.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>I'll finish the work. You guide me.</em>
  </p>
  <p> </p>
</blockquote><p>He was about to protest again. The boy had suggested this a few times now, but Zim knew more about PAK technology so it just-</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>Please, Zim. We clearly don't have much time left and this will be faster</em>
  </p>
  <p> </p>
</blockquote><p>The alien looked over to see a pleading look in the human's eyes and he felt his resolve crumble. His hands wouldn't stop shaking any more, and the prolonged focus on delicate components gave him headaches - not to mention the entirely new fear that he may hallucinate something whilst working and completely destroy their current work. Maybe Dib was right...</p><p>He took a deep sigh and nodded his head in response, already feeling the tiredness seep back into his expression. Shuffling closer to their project, he sat cross-legged on the desk and waited until Dib had the protective goggles and gloves on to begin. It started out slow, but eventually they picked up a decent pace of working together. The boy already had a relative grasp of the basics after watching Zim work for so long; but whenever he came across parts he didn't recognise or understand, Zim would quickly be able to direct him by pointing to which component a piece connected to or by typing up a message to explain it. It wasn't ideal, but it was definitely a lot faster than their progress over the previous days.</p><p>They worked into the late evening, before the human put his foot down and decided it was time to stop. The little irken protested; crossing his arms and giving the other a pouty look and making a frantic clicking noise. Dib only rolled his eyes and typed up another message.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>It's late. You especially need to rest. If you don't have much time left anyway, then I'm guessing pushing yourself to the point of exhaustion isn't going to help.</em>
  </p>
  <p> </p>
</blockquote><p>Zim glared at the message for a while, but refused to respond. Eventually he looked away and cast his gaze down like a petulant child. The human boy took that to mean that after thinking it through, the alien had concluded he was right. It didn't make him feel smug like it should do though.</p><p>They were both tired.</p><p>There was something he wanted to know though. Tapping Zim on the shoulder he nodded towards the laptop and tapped out another message.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>Can I ask what it was you saw then? What is it that freaked you enough out to get the spider legs out? You knew you can't to handle it.</em>
  </p>
  <p> </p>
</blockquote><p>At first he didn't think Zim was going to answer. He just stared at the screen with a tired look in his eyes. Then he moved a claw over the keyboard.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>ZIM THOUGHT HE SAW TAK.</em>
  </p>
  <p> </p>
</blockquote><p>Well that would definitely explain it. Dib chewed his lip.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>Have you had any others that bad?</em>
  </p>
  <p> </p>
</blockquote><p>The alien looked like he was about to respond via the keyboard but then instead he just sleepily turned to look at the human and shook his head. Sensing that was the que to leave the topic alone for now, Dib forced himself not to barrage the other with a million other questions and instead followed Zim upstairs. Whilst the irken curled up on the couch, under a pile of blankets, Dib just threw a pillow on the floor and took a single blanket. It was better to stay over for now; it meant he could keep an eye on Zim in case anything else happened - and they could pick up on their work again immediately tomorrow.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Gir Drives a Car</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sorry this one took a while to get out! I suddenly had a spark of inspiration and motivation a few days ago.<br/>ENJOY THE LONGER CHAPTER 10!</p><p>Edit: I made the human's speech harder to follow for Zim, and made his speech patterns shorter and more broken up. Hopefully you will still be able to understand most of the dialogue between characters. It was really difficult finding a middle ground that allowed me to tell the story whilst Zim's translator is malfunctioning. He does understand a lot of english since he's been there around 10 years now, but I felt that he might be too good at it still so-</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Trigger Warnings:<br/>- Hallucinations<br/>- Panic Attacks<br/>- Traumatic Flashbacks<br/>- Chronic illness</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The distant pink sun that orbited the planet cast an eery glow that bounced off the thick cloud cover. The magenta light that seeped through hit the sleek, metal buildings and caused long and imposing shadows to leer forward across the surface. Zim stood in the centre of a platform, suspended from his PAK by a twisting tube, connecting his data files to the large screen in front of the platform. An audience watched on as each of the little irken’s most hidden memories played out on it. Things Zim had buried deep deep within the cold, metal thrum within the device, and never allowed himself to dwell on. He watched it all back; he watched as the Tallest was engulfed by his own creation, soon followed by another. He thought he saw a glimmer of something cross Red’s face; a twitch of the eye and a flinch when the last of the cyan cloak disappeared within the creature’s maw.</p><p>The control brains said something he didn’t quite catch, and suddenly he was hauled further across the platform, his limbs dangling as his body was wrenched over the crowd. His spine ached from being held in place so long, but he didn’t fight it.</p><p>The control brains continued to speak. He heard most of it, but there were parts that were lost to him now.</p><p>The consensus that their best invader had to be terminated.</p><p>He didn’t understand why.</p><p>His mind screamed at him that this was all just a big joke.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>His Tallest would never allow for this to happen.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Never…</p><p> </p><p>           “DEF--**-*”</p><p> </p><p>What?</p><p> </p><p>He tried to speak up. <em>Could they repeat that last part</em>?</p><p> </p><p>The word popped up on the screen alongside his name and identification.</p><p> </p><p><em>Why couldn’t he read i</em>t?</p><p> </p><p>“D*---*-*VE”</p><p>What was happening?</p><p> </p><p>Why were they <em><b>smiling</b></em> at him like that?</p><p> </p><p>This was wrong-</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The soft cushions of the coach beneath him were almost suffocating when he suddenly found himself lying face down between them. Pushing himself up on his knees, he stared down in front of him. His SIR unit was curled atop one of the pillows, arching himself as though he’d been snuggled up to something moments ago.</p><p>What was that?</p><p>He was just on Irk, why was he back on Earth again now?</p><p> </p><p>Where were the Control Brains and The Tallest?</p><p>Where was-</p><p>“Hey Space ***, they didn’t ***** strawberry so I *** ** *** *** chocolate.”</p><p> </p><p>A voice came from beside him, suddenly far too close; as a can of something landed in front of him. It rolled over and he saw it was milkshake. Something he’d never had before becoming an invader. That settled it then. This was definitely Earth. He looked up and shot back in to the coach; his first thought being that a human had gotten into his base and was now staring straight at him without a disguise. Gir was asleep. The Computer hadn’t alerted him. It seemed like all the defences were down. He shrieked and hissed at the human, immediately throwing the can straight back at the man’s head. Apparently, caught off guard the human male fell to his ass, wincing and rubbing the spot he was struck.</p><p> </p><p>“***! OW! WHAT THE ACTUAL LIVING **** WAS **** FOR?!” The dark-haired boy shot back at him, eyes locked on his own and glaring daggers.</p><p> </p><p>He saw the look that Tallest Red gave him flash before him and yelped, clutching at his PAK as it suddenly burned hot against his skin. It singed his hands at the touch. Heavy breathing overtook him. Eyes darting around the room. He felt trapped. He was exposed.</p><p>Jumping from the coach he quickly made a break for trash can.</p><p>Had to get to the lab.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>-------</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Dib watched as Zim seemed to all but explode from whatever current breakdown he was going through. Rubbing at the lump already forming on the side of his head, he staggered to his feet and quickly followed along.</p><p> </p><p>“Zim! Wait, **** ****!”</p><p> </p><p>The little bug jumped head first into the trash can; the telltale whirring of an elevator starting up as it sunk into the lower levels of the base. He sighed and walked around to the closet, kicking away the brooms and various cleaning supplies that fell out as he stepped into the dusty shoot (it was either that or the toilet). Making it down into the base, he looked around for a while, before he noticed a little green foot peeking out from behind one of the hatches in the computer’s mainframe. Suspicions confirmed when the screen above it lit up for him, with a big green arrow pointing towards that very spot.</p><p>Dib wondered how he should go about approaching this. He knew Zim’s memory had been especially bad in recent days. The little guy had never had the best memory to begin with, but lately he’d been forgetting conversations or tasks they’d completed moments before. Dib also caught Gir using this to trick Zim into giving him extra snacks a few times. He’d scolded the little robot for it once the irken was out of earshot; not wanting to upset Zim, but he needed the tiny minion to understand that his master’s condition was serious.</p><p>He dropped to his knees a good distance away and spoke calmly.</p><p> </p><p>“Zim… **** **** come out here? ******?”</p><p> </p><p>There was no response. He tried again.</p><p> </p><p>“Zim, **** ***** ****** you thought you *** but it-”</p><p> </p><p>Two ruby eyes poked out from behind the grate and stared over at him menacingly, “What is… <em>human</em>… here in Zim’s base?!”</p><p> </p><p>Dib stopped short and stared back, unsure what to say to that. After a few moments of silence between the two, Zim spoke up again: this time he held an arm out that clutched tightly to a plasma blaster. The boy rolled his eyes, thankful at least that Zim seemed unwilling to activate his PAK weapons currently. Perhaps he somehow knew that would be bad for him, even now.</p><p> </p><p>“**** try, but I **** Gir ate the ***** for that ******** model ages ago and you’re just too much of a hoarder to ***** it out.”</p><p> </p><p>Zim ran through the sentence in his mind, taking a moment to decipher it. Why wasn;t his blasted translator working?! He blinked surprised and clipped open the cartridge to glance inside, surprised that the human was correct. There was indeed no ammo in this blaster. Curses.</p><p>But how did it know that?</p><p>Jumping out of his hiding place, and pointing the empty blaster at his opponent with all the confidence of a professional sniper, he demanded again,</p><p> </p><p>“Why. You. In. Zim’s. Base?!”</p><p> </p><p>The boy bit his lip; concern now flooding his thoughts. Zim had forgotten minor things up until now, but he’d never forgotten who Dib was. The little bug’s current manic episode was going on far too long for Dib’s liking. He started slowly, still trying to speak in a placating way and holding his hands up (not out of fear of the weapon, but an extra attempt to put his panicked friend at ease.)</p><p> </p><p>“It’s me. Dib.”</p><p> </p><p>Zim blinked in response and seemed to look him up and down; his eyes shimmied in the light like he was taking flicking them up and down the others body a few times. There seemed to come a slight look of understanding, but quickly followed by even more confusion, and then irritation once more. The alien took a step forward, hissing softly between his shark-like teeth.</p><p> </p><p>“A try, but the Dib is human smeet!”</p><p> </p><p>Dib sighed and smoothed his cowlick down, trying to think of something else.</p><p> </p><p>“Look, I ****** it’s me… ***** *** last thing you remember?”</p><p> </p><p>“Last thing-? Zim was…” He stopped and his expression seemed to travel galaxies for a moment as he was thrust back into his earlier memory, “Z-zim was... on Irk.” He finally settled on, closing his eyes and nodding decisively, “Yes, Zim was on Irk for important meeting with My Tallest.”</p><p> </p><p>The boy sighed, “Dude, you haven’t **** back to Irk in ***** years… I think you went one time in ***** ******,” He chuckled, “You were really ***** about something when you ******* back. ***, you annoyed the **** out of me for weeks afterwards ****** about how you were the ‘the greatest Irken ever’… but you never went back since…”</p><p> </p><p>Dib lingered on the memory a moment longer. He wondered why Zim had never revisited his home planet after that. Maybe once he was back to his senses again he would ask. Putting it out of his mind he smiled over to Zim, “******* Space ***, your memory hasn’t been the best ******… Me and you have been ******* together on ****** ****. I need you to ***** **** breath and ***** until it all ****** back.”</p><p> </p><p>The alien frowned, his hands falling to his hips, “Zim's memory drive are perfect! Being ridiculous, Human-Worm!”</p><p> </p><p>“If you really think so then why don’t you go ask Gir,” Dib shrugged, standing back up to his full height and brushing himself off (he almost missed the quiet “meep” Zim let out as he moved). Turning to look at his wary companion he groaned, “Actually… Maybe don’t ask Gir. ***** probably *** ***** *** pizza man or **** *****.” he said, cracking a goofy grin that he hoped was at least a little disarming.</p><p> </p><p>Zim squinted back at him, as though something he’d said had struck a chord with him. Suddenly he swirled on his feet and barked up at the ceiling in irken, “<em>COMPUTER</em>!”</p><p> </p><p>“Ugh… What is it?” But Dib couldn’t help but notice the AI’s voice seemed slightly less uninterested as it usually was; almost as if it secretly was paying more attention this entire time than it would like either of them to believe.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>This human in Zim’s base</em>!” He screeched out in irken, pointing a claw over to Dib, who jumped and offered a wave up at the ceiling as well, “<em>Are these filthy lies it speaks actually lies</em>?!”</p><p> </p><p>A whirring sound and the screen in front of them came to life; displaying a collection of images and footage of the two of them together. Mostly, they were working on the new PAK, but there were one or two of them relaxing and enjoying a movie or laughing with each other. There were even a few that were clearly taken from Dib’s apartment, or even Gir’s favourite Taco place. The boy was mildly creeped out, but he supposed he of all people had no right to comment on that. Zim stared up at the screen with wide eyes, almost like he didn’t quite comprehend what he was seeing. He glanced from the screen to Dib. The human bit his lip, growing concerned that for whatever reason, his friend’s memory wasn’t yet coming back to him.</p><p> </p><p>Was this it now?</p><p> </p><p>Had Zim. . . forgotten him?</p><p> </p><p>                                                                <em>                                    Had they been too late?</em></p><p> </p><p>“Dib-Stink?”</p><p> </p><p>He snapped out of his dark thoughts to find Zim stood directly in front of him, staring up at him with an unreadable expression. Quickly, he slipped on a smug expression and snickered,</p><p> </p><p>“Of course the mighty Zim remembers you, Dib-Thing! Do not… fear that! I could never forge ugly face as yours is ugly!”</p><p> </p><p>The paranormal investigator blinked and stared back at him, then broke into a soft laughter. He gripped his gut as an overwhelming feeling of relief washed over him.</p><p> </p><p>“...Right… *********. How could I ever **** you?”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>-------</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Everything seemed to calm down then. If only for a moment. All those times spent working with Dib came flooding back to him. Zim contemplated what just happened. He understood that the situation must have been caused by his PAK malfunctioning again. He hadn’t been hallucinating this time though. That was different. He thought back to how he had been face down on the couch cushions and came to the conclusion that he must have been sleeping.</p><p>But then why did he see himself back on Irk?</p><p>He remembered now. He remembered why he had been there. This time he knew the actual reason. Realising he had been stood silently for a bit too long when he noticed Dib looking at him with concern once more, he shook his head to clear the thoughts and began walking over towards the elevator. Unfortunately, that was when the human just couldn’t keep his mouth shut any longer.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey Zim?”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Hm</em>?”</p><p> </p><p>“...Remember *** *** said the last time you went ** Irk was ***** years ago… I was ********* … why *** *** never go back?”</p><p> </p><p>Go back?</p><p> </p><p>To Irk?</p><p> </p><p>Instantly, he was shot back to that place once more.</p><p> </p><p>Red and purple eyes bore into his very mind and he backed up against the elevator shaft, PAK scraping against the wall until he was pulled away from it.</p><p> </p><p>Metal tubes wrapped around him.</p><p> </p><p>He couldn’t move.</p><p> </p><p>Couldn’t see anything other than those deep, hateful eyes.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Red. Purple.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>B L U E.</b>
</p><p> </p><p>The elevator clicked as it reached the top and he threw the robotic arms of the control brains off him, shaking their hold. He made a break for the door. Just knowing he had to get out. He had to run.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>-------</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Dib shrieked when Zim flung himself into the side of the elevator. He heard the screeching of metal on metal as sparks flew from his PAK as it grated along the elevator shaft. He grabbed the alien and pulled him to his chest without giving it a second thought, but realised that might not have been the best idea when Zim bolted for the open front door the minute he got out of the elevator.</p><p> </p><p>Without his wig.</p><p> </p><p>Without his contacts.</p><p> </p><p>Without his boots or gloves.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Oh no.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>A sick, hallucinating and completely <em>undisguised</em> irken running around the city in a panic.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Fuck.</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>-------</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Zim raced down the block, panic rushing through his spooch as it pounded against his chest. He could barely comprehend where he was or where he was headed in the moment. All he knew was fear and shame. The look of betrayal he imagined. Feet hitting the cement on the side walk and claws grating against it. It hurt. He felt the pain but couldn’t pinpoint it in that moment. Everything hurt. His chest felt tight from the running, as well as the nightmare raging on within his mind; blood trickled from the centre of his palms where he balled his hands into fists and his short legs ached with the strain.</p><p>But still he ran.</p><p>Passing houses and parked cars and gardens with their own non-robotic gnomes.</p><p>As the air whirred past his antennae; biting against the sensitive appendages with a freezing chill, he felt a dampness streak down his face. </p><p> </p><p>He hadn’t meant to do it.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>It wasn’t his fault.</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He’d only ever wanted to please her.</p><p>
  <em>That’s all any irken ever wants.</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>To please <em><b>Them.</b></em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He just wanted…</p><p> </p><p>A choked sob came from deep within his throat, as a primal and guttural pain that he had buried deep within his very core rose to the surface. Maybe he had never been able to feel it before now due to the inhibitor.</p><p>That was doubtful though.</p><p>Falling to his knees he felt the sharp pieces of asphalt dig deep into his thin skin and grit his teeth. It was all he deserved right now.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>                                                                      M   <b>U   R   D   E   </b>R   E   R</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>                                                                                              C R I<b> M I N </b>A L</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            I  N  S<b>  A  N  E</b></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>           D E <b>F E C </b> 00 <em>T I</em><em>II</em>IIiiiiiiii 00001000011<b>1000000000 00 00                     0000000 0101</b></p><p><b>                        100000000</b> <strike> <em> <b>001000010</b> </em> </strike> <strike> <em>1110100100000000000000010100000000000000</em> </strike></p><p><em>                                                                                                     01000000011111110010000000000000000000000101</em> <strike> <em> 00000010 10000000000 11111111111100000</em> </strike></p><p> </p><p>1</p><p>1</p><p> </p><p>100000</p><p>000000000000000000000000111000000000011100000000000100001001000000000011000000000000000000000<strike>0100001000011101100000000100011000000001110000000001110000000100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000100000011</strike></p><p> </p><p>000<b>0100</b>000000100000<em>000000100000000000</em><em><b>00000000000000001</b></em><em>0000000000000000000100000000000000000100000</em><em><b>0000000001000</b></em><em>000000001000000000001</em>000000000000<b>00000111000000000</b></p><p> </p><p>000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001000000000000000000000000000<strike>0000000011000000001111000000000000000001111000000000000000000100000011111100000000000000000</strike><strike><b>0000000000000000001000100000000000100001001000001000000000000000000000000000000000000001000000000000000000000001100000000000000000000000010000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001000000</b></strike><strike>000000000000000000000000100000000100000000000000011000000000000010000000000000100100000011111100000000100000000000000000000000000000000</strike><strike><b>000000000000000001001100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000</b></strike><strike>00000000000000000000000000000000000000000111000000100000000000000100000000</strike><strike><em>010000000001000000000011111110000000000000000010100000000000000000010</em></strike><strike><em><b>00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000100000000000010000000000</b></em></strike><strike><em><b>iiiiiiiiiiiiiiii</b></em></strike><em><b>iiiiiiiii</b></em><em><b>0000000000011100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000010000000000000000000011000000000000000000010110000000000010001000000000000000000000000000000001000000000000000000000000000</b></em><strike><em><b>0000000000000000000000001000000000000000000000000000000</b></em></strike><strike><em>0000000000000000000000000000000000100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000</em></strike><em>00</em>0000000000001000000000000000000000000000000vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv00000000011000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000111000000000000000000eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee</p><p> </p><p>                                                                                                                                                                                                               0<b>000000000</b>00000000011100000000</p><p> </p><p>000000000000000<b>0000000000000</b>1000000000000000</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>                                                                                                                        00000000100000<em> 000000000100000000000000</em></b>
</p><p>
  <em><b>                                                      00000000000000000111000000000000</b>00000000000000000</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> 00000000000000000</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A shock ran up his spine.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Everything turned white.</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>-----------</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The raven-haired boy raced out into the cool night air, following his friend. He quickly grabbed a thick hoodie and one of his own beanies hung by the door on the way out. No time to scour around for Zim’s usual disguise; God only knew where the dumb bug had last left it.</p><p>Sneakers pelting the asphalt, he felt relief for a single moment when he looked upon the dim, moonless night.</p><p> </p><p>It was cold. It was foggy.</p><p> </p><p>Best of all, it was well after rush hour, so there were barely even any cars out. He knew it would only be a matter of time before someone would stumble across him. People might look the other way whenever he walked around in daylight, but a small, green alien with antennae and huge, pink eyes was a whole other matter. He had to find that moron quickly. He’d caught a quick glimpse at the direction Zim had headed in when he left, but since then, he hadn’t gotten the slightest trace. Where would he have gone?</p><p>Were there even many places Zim would run to in a time like this?</p><p>He’d always seemed to feel safest in his base or the Voot. Dib doubted his alien friend would remember where his apartment was in a time like this, considering how little he paid attention to most things, but he supposed it was worth a try. The soles of his feet stung as he slammed them into the side-walk over and over; turning on his heel, he bolted in the direction of his own address. It took around ten minutes to reach; a new record.</p><p>He couldn’t see Zim anywhere around the block of apartments, but he knew by now that the bug had little to no boundaries. Clicking the keys in the lock, he creaked open the door; breath caught in his throat. The apartment was bathed in dim light from a flickering lamppost outside the window, but no Zim in sight. He searched all the rooms. He stuck his head under the couch.</p><p> </p><p>Nothing.</p><p> </p><p>“Zim? Zim, are you in here?!” He shouted out.</p><p> </p><p>No response.</p><p> </p><p>It seemed this had been a false hope.</p><p> </p><p>Where else would Zim have gone?</p><p> </p><p>Where else in the city did the guy even visit regularly?! Or at ALL?!</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>His old family home?</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>               Their old school?</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                                       Dib’s college campus?</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Membrane Labs?</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Gir’s favourite Taco shop?!!</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Fuck, he really had no idea.</p><p>Where would Zim have gone in a blind panic?</p><p>And, if he had been that freaked out, would he even have thought to go to one of those places at all?</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Dib was going about this all the wrong way. He was freaking out just as much as Zim was right now; the only difference being his friend needed him.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Think, Dib.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Use that ridiculously big head of yours!</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>WAIT! GIR! Zim had told him a while ago that SIR units had tracking devices installed for emergencies. Should their masters be in peril, the SIRs would be able to instantly seek them to provide aid when needed.</p><p> </p><p>No running this time. He jumped in his car and sped off, returning to Zim’s. Hopefully, he wouldn’t get a ticket for speeding along the way. Slamming the door open, and thanking his luck once more when he found the little robot instantly. Gir was sat on the couch, scribbling away with his crayons. Upon noticing Dib, the little robot grinned and held up his work.</p><p> </p><p>“I drew Mastah as a penguin!”</p><p> </p><p>The boy stared at them for a moment, trying to process what he needed to say.</p><p> </p><p>“GIR! ….FORGET THAT, WE NEED TO FIND-”</p><p> </p><p>The paper was shoved into his face. An angry(?) looking moose floating idly next to him. Dib blinked as his mind tried to catch up with what was going on.</p><p> </p><p>“WE DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS! I NEED YOU TO-”</p><p> </p><p>“Do you <em>liiiiiike</em> it?~”</p><p> </p><p>“GIR! PLEASE LISTE-!”</p><p> </p><p>“DO YA LIIIIIIEEEEEK IT???”</p><p> </p><p>“GIR I--!”</p><p> </p><p>“DO YAAAAAA????” The SIR started frantically jumping up and down in front of him, “DO YA? DO YA? DO YA?!!”</p><p> </p><p>The boy slumped forward and took a closer look at the paper.</p><p>There was a crudely drawn zoo, with a green penguin in the centre. It was screaming.</p><p>It was definitely Zim.</p><p> </p><p>Sighing, he forced a smile for Gir and nodded. The robot beamed and scampered off to a corner of the room. He returned with a magnet and tried to throw it over to Dib. The magnet stuck firmly to Gir’s arm. He tried again. And again. And again. And-</p><p>Getting the hint, the human took the magnet and speed-walked over to the fridge, quickly pinning the masterpiece there. Gir seemed content with that, and finally looked up at Dib expectantly. The boy knelt down and picked the little robot up, “Listen Buddy… Zim’s missing. He could be in real trouble right now. I need you to be brave and help me look for him, okay?”</p><p> </p><p>Gir’s smile drooped and his large eyes seemed to grow even larger.</p><p> </p><p>“Why didn’t ya say so before??? Master’s in trouble??? We gotta go help him!”</p><p> </p><p>Relieved, Dib stood back up; Gir on his shoulder, he headed back to his car parked outside, “You too, Minimoose! Come on!”</p><p> </p><p>Once in the car, Dib turned once more to Gir.</p><p> </p><p>“Zim told me you were able to track him in situations like this. Is that true, Gir?”</p><p> </p><p>The robot tilted his head and stuck his… tongue(?) out. After a moment he gave a small shrug. Dib took his glasses off and rubbed his tired eyes, “Please, Gir… Think about this… How can we find him? What do you need?”</p><p> </p><p>The SIR sat still for a moment.</p><p> </p><p>Dib was about to give up hope in Zim’s tiny companion, when Gir’s antennae began to blink with a red light. Quickly followed, his eyes began to glow red, and suddenly Gir was pulling up the navigation system of Dib’s car. A thick cable came out of his head, the end of it shifting to form the perfect connector for the vehicle. Without Dib even turning the keys they were suddenly moving.</p><p> </p><p>Moving very fast.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Too fast.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>He grabbed the steering wheel just in time, as Gir almost ploughed them straight into a fire hydrant, and managed to force-ably lower the acceleration (much to Gir’s absolute annoyance, as he was glared at).</p><p> </p><p>He smiled sheepishly, “I wanna find him too, guys. But getting killed in a car crash isn’t gonna help matters, okay?”</p><p> </p><p>That seemed to quell the robot’s anger for now, as he returned his attention to window in front of them. Dib watched on in amazement as every so often, the robot moved his head inches to the right or the left; the car moving in perfect sync. He must have been pinpointing Zim’s exact signal. The changes were so small and subtle that he wouldn’t even have noticed if he wasn’t transfixed to them. It was good to have something other than his mounting terror to focus on anyway. Recently, he’d really gotten to see exactly how cool irken tech could be at times. Getting a close up view of PAK mechanics, Gir’s service mode, the Voot… For all the times he had taunted Zim about his tech being weak to bee; it was all still so alien and different and so incredibly amazing.</p><p>He distracted himself watching Gir as the car sped along the quiet roads.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>-------------</p><p> </p><p>His head ached. Everything hurt.</p><p> </p><p>Like the ten thousand spines of the <em>Murubian weavlyhog </em>had pierced every inch of his body.</p><p> </p><p>Zim sat up and found himself sat in the middle of the street.</p><p> </p><p>What had happened?</p><p> </p><p>Why was he out here in the middle of the night?</p><p> </p><p>Glancing around, he tried to get some idea of where he even was. In the dark, the city had always confused him even more. Every building looked even more identical in the grey cast by the moonlit clouds. He shivered and hugged his arms tightly around himself. Lately, he was used to the first thing he noticed being how ridiculously skinny he was becoming. This time, something else caught him off guard.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>No gloves.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>He looked down and gulped. His clawed hands were bare, as were his feet. Moving one hand up to his face, he traced the outline of his ocular implants and whimpered when he felt no horrible plastic cover over them. Moving his hand to his scalp, he grew even more worried when he found he was missing his wig. Diving across the road, he threw himself into a bush. Looking out across from him he was relieved to see no humans in sight. Waiting there for a while, he watched as one or two cars passed by now and then. The occasional passer-by walked along the street, often taking a dog for a walk. No one seemed to be out by choice right now. He could understand why. The cold air bit into his bare arms and he shuddered. Not knowing how long he’d been crouched in the bush for, Zim soon realized he would have to make a move quickly. His legs had begun to cramp and freeze in place. Even if he didn’t move, sooner or later, he was either going to freeze to death or be discovered.</p><p>He had to come up with a plan.</p><p>Carefully, he poked the top of his head out of the bush to get a better look around. There were backyards on either side of him. One of them had a washing line hung up with various items of clothing hung on it. Zim could only hope they were dry. Taking his chance, he zipped out from under the bush and skittered into yard, grabbing at what looked to be the thickest, biggest item of clothing on the line, and barrel-rolling across the grass and behind a tree. Only then did he stop to take a look at what he’d managed to swipe. It was a big, pink bomber jacket with a grey hoodie sewn underneath. A felt image of heart was stitched on to the breast pocket. It could have been much worse. He shrugged the jacket on, zipping it up and pulling the hood up and over his head, tightening the cords until it provided only a small enough gap to see out of. The sleeves were heavy and hung well past his hands. Perfect. At least this would provide an ample amount of cover from prying eyes. Stepping out on to the side-walk once more, he wandered what his next step would be. He couldn’t rely on Dib to find him, when he himself didn’t even recognize where in the city he was right now (if he even <em>was </em>still in the city).</p><p>Just as he was preparing to attempt to navigate himself back to the base, a voice called out in mild surprise behind him.</p><p> </p><p>“Zim?”</p><p> </p><p>Spinning on his heel and almost tripping, he turned to face two confused-looking humans. A young woman with shoulder length purple hair, and a shorter man with curly red hair and… strange-looking eyes. Squinting, he tried his best to place their faces, but found that he really didn’t take much notice in other humans besides Dib and Gaz. The two seemed to know him though, as they both stepped closer. The girl walked right up to him, a hand over her mouth.</p><p> </p><p>“Um, What *** *** doing all this way **** **** at **** hour? And… why did you ***** my jacket?” She asked. He stared at her face intently, trying to see if he could read her expression. She didn’t seem angry, so much as perplexed, by the entire situation.</p><p> </p><p>“...Does Zi-<em>Uh, </em>Do I… know you?”</p><p> </p><p>She blinked and winced slightly, “Oh… I **** *** ********** recognize me, huh? **** been **** long time after all.” She answered, looking a little hurt.</p><p> </p><p>“… You recognize Zim though?”</p><p> </p><p>The boy snorted at that, “Well yeah… There aren’t exactly many people with green skin around here, dude. Although I am a little bit hurt. I mean we were best friends at one point. E-even if it was only for like a day.”</p><p>The cogs in his brain turned, but still nothing connected. He shook his head and shrugged. The two looked at each other and then back at him, giving meek smiles.</p><p> </p><p>“*** ***, Keef,” The boy eventually said, “And **** ** Zita. You know, from *******?”</p><p> </p><p>Zim continued to squint at them, but nothing came back to him. He sensed that it may not be well received should he admit to that though, so instead he pretended.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah yes! OF COURSE! Zim would, um... never <em>forget… </em> you two!” He answered in his most convincing voice, “Now what is it from Zim that you want?!”</p><p> </p><p>The two humans glanced at each other for a second before starting to laugh.</p><p>“Same *** Zim. *****, Zeets?” Keef chuckled.</p><p> </p><p>The girl grinned and nodded, “I can’t believe this… it’s crazy running in to you here! And to think I was going to spend the night at my boyfriend’s until he went and cancelled on me! We <em>HAVE</em> to catch up!” She beamed, bouncing over to her back door and motioning for the two to follow. A creeping sense of anxiety came over the alien. He really did not want to go in to this stranger’s home. Every part of his training warned him this was stepping into unknown territory. However, glancing back out to the unfamiliar street under it’s dimly lit lights and foggy horizon, he decided the unknown house may be the safer alternative. Gulping down his worries, he marched over to the doorstep with as much confidence as he could muster. Keef followed behind them and closed the door once they were all inside. Zita lead them into a lounge area, with a wide bay window that looked out on to the backyard. That explained how she’d seen Zim steal the item of clothing. His spooch lurched forward into his throat as he suddenly contemplated the possibility she might demand he return it now they were indoors. Feeling his insides turn to ice, he sat stiffly on the couch.</p><p>No such order came however.</p><p> </p><p>“****, You’re *********… You must be frozen ****.” Came the concerned voice instead, “Want **** hot cocoa?”</p><p> </p><p>Zim gulped and nodded dumbly. He was certain that sooner or later they would discover him. Cocoa or not.</p><p>She left to head to the kitchen, grabbing a bag of marshmallows off the table on her way. The <em>teevee</em> was switched on; paused and flickering on the image of some horrifying black and white monster. He glanced over at the cover of the DVD on the couch next to him.</p><p> </p><p>‘<em>THE THING’</em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em>It was one of Dib’s favourites.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>They had watched it together a few times before actually. Zim still hardly knew the story, since every single time Dib would spend the entire movie monologuing all the silly facts he knew about the darned thing: how long it had taken to make the costumes, the fact they used dolphin noises in one of the most iconic scenes… the breed of the main actresses pet gerbil. It was utterly ridiculous, insane and… admittedly, a little bit charming. Just a bit though. Zita soon returned with three mugs of steaming cocoa on a tray. Little marshmallows bobbed in each. He took note of how each mug seemed to be a slightly different shade of pink. There were little plastic gemstones stuck on each one, forming shapes like hearts and stars. It was cute. He kinda liked it.</p><p>Picking up the middle mug, he cradled it in his claws, letting the warmth seep into his skin, before blowing on it and sipping. It was creamy and delicious. The sugar did wonders for him in that moment, and he could already feel his body beginning to wake up again. Zita smiled at him, seemingly appeased when he offered a nod in gratitude for the drink. The three sat in quiet for a moment, letting Zim warm up.</p><p> </p><p>“So, What were you doing in my backyard anyway?” She asked after a short while.</p><p> </p><p>Zim stared into the mug, uncertain of what to say.</p><p> </p><p>“I… ran away from home.” He settled on after a while.</p><p> </p><p>The two humans shared a look again and Keef frowned slightly, “Aren’t you a ****** **** for that ****? I mean… we’re all in our *******.”</p><p>Noticing the slight flinch, Zita shushed Keef and sent him a look. Keef bit his lip and nodded, “******… Go on.”</p><p> </p><p>The irken sighed, “Zim has been… sick lately.”</p><p> </p><p>A heavy feeling set in the room and they looked at him with worry, but didn’t interrupt.</p><p> </p><p>“...I cannot explain the details well… Is hard for me to, but…” He fought with his words, “Zim is not a perfect… <em>um</em>, human… as thought. Things are incorrect inside. Things we wish to be fixed. The translation may be off… I think that you will understand this as… <em>ah, um</em>… bad illness?”</p><p> </p><p>He tried to supply them with as much as an answer as he could, hoping they wouldn’t press for more details. The wording was sloppy, he could tell the two of them were struggling to piece together what he was saying. Keef hummed and sipped at his own drink. Zita smiled and placed a gentle hand on the alien’s shoulder. He flinched away before he could stop himself and she pulled it back, giving him an apologetic look.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m really ***** to **** ****, Zim… I guess I should have figured ********** was up. You out in the middle of the night…. No coat… No um, shoes… a-and you look… well, <em>um</em>… forget that, *** ****** – i-it was ***** of me to say anything.”</p><p> </p><p>The irken stared at her, taking a moment to allow what he thought she had said to sink in to his brain-meats. Did she find his appearance suspicious?</p><p> </p><p>No.</p><p>That wasn’t it.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>She sounded apologetic.</em>
</p><p>For what though?</p><p> </p><p>Everything she had pointed out had been the truth.</p><p>He was pale. Underdressed. And far too thin.</p><p> </p><p>Her bomber jacket drowned him beneath it’s white fluffy collar.</p><p>He sensed that she felt legitimately bad about something. They both did. But why?</p><p>This had nothing to do with either of them.</p><p>They hadn’t even seen him since the skool. Why did they care at all?</p><p> </p><p>It made no sense.</p><p> </p><p>On Irk, no one would have given a second glance his way other than to scoff or laugh. Irkens cared only about themselves and their Tallest. That made sense. Why should you care about others?</p><p>What did the others matter?</p><p> </p><p>As a collective, of course they mattered. But that was different. Should one irken die, ten smeets would soon be hatched to replace them and quickly trained. It was efficient. It made sense.</p><p>
  <em>Earth didn’t make sense.</em>
</p><p>He understood that not all humans would be this nice either.</p><p>He understood the ones that would have taken advantage of something like him that night. He could have wound up beaten, drugged, hurt, killed… There wasn’t exactly much for anyone to rob from him, but he still had an understanding that there were many humans who would derive pleasure from torture and sadism just as there was on Irk and many other planets he’d known. There were many many planets that would take every opportunity to take their frustration out on an unprotected irken. It rarely happened, because their training would not allow for it. Irkens who wound up in those kinds of positions deserved it anyway.</p><p>They were shameful. A disgrace to the Empire.</p><p>However, nestled between the plush couch with that warm mug in his hands, he suddenly felt very safe. It was ridiculous. He barely knew these two. Still couldn’t even remember them. But, deep down… he knew they wanted no harm to come to him. He knew they were safe. They were good. Humans had the possibility for that. Not for the first time in recent weeks, he found himself feeling eternally grateful that he was stranded on Earth. It sounded strange to put it like that, but it was true. Whether or not it came down to humans simply not recognizing how much of a threat an irken truly was (dying or not), didn’t factor into it in that moment. He was warm. He was safe.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Earth was home now.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Brought out of his thoughts by Keef once more, the boy turned to him.</p><p> </p><p>“Listen… I’m sure Zeets wouldn’t **** if you ***** over… B-but if you’re really ***** sick, and you, um… really did <em>run away</em>… Maybe we should **** your family or **********?”</p><p> </p><p>He jolted and stared at the other with big eyes, “You can’t… <em>Um</em>… Zim’s family is on… trip… f-for the businessness! Yes!”</p><p>Keef worried his lip between his teeth, “You’re really that *** and your family go away some place else? That seems *****….”</p><p> </p><p>“I-it’s perfectly normal!” Zim stuttered, “Absolutely and totally… a normal thing to do right now.”</p><p> </p><p>Zita frowned, “So… who *** *** run away from?”</p><p> </p><p>The bug’s eyes grew another size in dinner plates and he shot up, almost spilling the cocoa, “AGGH! DIB! HE WILL BE WORRYING AND LOOKING FOR ZIM! I MUST TELL HIM I AM HERE!”</p><p> </p><p>The girl seemed surprised, “Dib? I thought you guys didn’t *** ***?”</p><p> </p><p>“...It’s been ******* ***** since then, Zita… Besides, I told you… they <em>seemed</em> like they were fighting in *******l, but they were ********* ***** close, right Zim?”</p><p> </p><p>The alien froze for a moment, then nodded slowly, “Um, yes… O-of course we were the closest of close.”</p><p> </p><p>Zita smiled slightly at that, “That’s… **** to hear. But I’m not sure how we’ll be able to *** a hold of him. No one really ***** to Dib outside of school besides you, Zim. I don’t know if anyone would have his number… And it was such a long time ago…”</p><p> </p><p>“Surely someone must have his ******” Keef frowned.</p><p> </p><p>She thought about it and grabbed her phone, quickly sending out a text to a few people. After waiting for about ten minutes she got some responses, but no look.</p><p> </p><p>Groaning, she turned to Zim, “Maybe we should ***** you **** hospital?”</p><p> </p><p>Zita wasn’t expecting the look of complete terror that came over Zim in that moment. He seemed to go even paler, and he wildly shook his head.</p><p> </p><p>“NO! N-no hospital… Um, P-please?” He seemed uncertain about what he was asking.</p><p> </p><p>This was weird. It was scaring her.</p><p> </p><p>“Um, Zim… Really, ****** ******* ***** worry about ****** to the hospital, okay? If you’re ******* **** ****** you should ***** your family.” She tried to reason.</p><p> </p><p>He jumped up, pointing an accusing finger at her.</p><p> </p><p>“ZIM IS TRYING TO ALERT MY FAMILY NOW! SO CONTINUE WITH THE PHONING HUMAN!” He shouted, however once he remembered his current situation he awkwardly added, “P-please?”</p><p> </p><p>Still uncertain, but seeing that Zim was absolutely refusing to go to a hospital, she got back on her phone and spent another half hour searching for Dib’s number through her wide field of contacts. Eventually, a friend’s cousin’s sister’s boyfriend’s uncle’s friend of a friend of professor Membrane came through for her, and she managed to get a hold of it. Surprisingly, it didn’t actually take that long either. She dialled the number.</p><p>It went through to voice mail the first time.</p><p>She dialled it again. This <em>was </em>an emergency. She thought so anyway.</p><p> </p><p>“H-hello?” A familiar, but slightly older sounding voice picked up on the other end of the line, quickly followed by a loud screeching sound that was clearly tyres burning over a sharp turn. She could hear shrieking and laughing coming from the other side.</p><p> </p><p>What kind of shit was Dib even involved with now?!!</p><p> </p><p>“Um, H-hi… Dib?” She started, “I-its um, it’s Zita… from **** *******.”</p><p> </p><p>Zim could hear the familiar sound of Dib’s voice, and he felt his spooch skip slightly. He could hear Gir in the background, followed by a familiar “<em>nyeh</em>!”</p><p> </p><p>They were out looking for him!</p><p> </p><p>“Zita?” He sounded confused, “U-um, listen… Now really isn’t the best time, okay? I’m kinda dealing with ********* right now… I’m ******* for someone….”</p><p> </p><p>He was started to ramble again. Zim bit his lip. It was a bad habit he’d picked up from the humans. Specifically, Dib. It was especially bad, since his sharp teeth never failed to break skin. He tasted the sweet blood that tricked out, and fought back his tears. Dib sounded so worried. So… scared?</p><p> </p><p>“Hey Dib!” Keef called from beside Zim.</p><p> </p><p>“...Keef?!” Came the muffled voice from the other side of the phone.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah! *******, if you’re out ******** for Zim… well… he’s here with us!”</p><p> </p><p>There was a short silence for a while before,</p><p> </p><p>“….OH THANK *****!”</p><p> </p><p>Zita winced slightly.</p><p>Zim grinned.</p><p>“Heh… Yeah, he sorta turned up in Zeet’s ********. Do you want *** to give *** **** *************?” Keef continued.</p><p> </p><p>“...N-no thanks… I kinda got *** ********* covered…” Came the slightly-troubled response. Keef looked up to the other two in the room. There was a whirring sound outside and a loud crash, followed by some high pitched shrieking.</p><p>Next thing any of them knew, a tiny robot had flung open the door and dive-bombed straight into Zim, sending the both of them flying to the floor.</p><p> </p><p>“WAAH!”</p><p> </p><p>The red flashing from Gir’s antennae slowly faded as a tinny voice shouted, “FOUND YOU!”</p><p> </p><p>Dib ran through the open door, followed by a small, floating, purple moose. Zita and Keef chose not to question these things. A boy neither of them had seen in years stood there, looking absolutely exhausted. Dib had bags under his eyes and his hair looked even more frazzled than they remembered. He slumped slightly in the doorway, and seemed to let out a long sigh of relief when he set eyes on Zim sprawled out on the floor, looking like a giant, fluffy marshmallow in his ‘<em>borrowed</em>’ jacket. Zim sat up, cradling Gir in the crook of one arm. He seemed just as relieved when he saw Dib.</p><p> </p><p>“What took you this long now, Stinky?” He almost sniffled out.</p><p> </p><p>Dib gave him a sorry grin, “It, um… didn’t really occur *** *** to use Gir until ****** *****… Wasn’t really thinking **********, I guess. ******…”</p><p> </p><p>Zim smiled back at him, petting Gir absent-mindedly on the head. Slowly, he stood up and made his way over to the doorway.</p><p> </p><p>“You let this one drive?” He asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Didn’t ***** much of a choice **** ******* **********.” Dib shrugged. He nodded over to Keef and Zita, “***** guys, I’ve been pretty ******* about him. ****** for taking ***** of him until now.”</p><p> </p><p>Keef beamed, “It’s **** to see you two again! No matter the circumstances!”</p><p> </p><p>Zita, still a little unsure about Dib’s whole involvement in all this (she’d always thought he’d been a bit of a bully towards Zim back in school, and he always seemed to be getting up to trouble), also gave a shy smile. She nodded at the two of them, “It’s cold out there tonight… Zim can keep the jacket for a while.”</p><p>Dib blinked kind of surprised, he held on to the old grey hoodie he’d brought along. It didn’t look nearly as warm however. He also didn’t really want to put Zim through taking off his only form of disguise anywhere near other people. Slipping the hoodie on himself, he decided to nod in return and gave a grateful, “***** ***.”</p><p> </p><p>“Let’s go home now.” Zim prodded him in the arm. His usual irritation back on his features.</p><p> </p><p>Dib was relieved.</p><p> </p><p>It seemed like things would be okay again now.</p><p>He turned around and pulled his keys out of his pocket.</p><p> </p><p>“We should stop *** ****** on the way home… *** *** treat for Gir! He did really well *********… Besides, you could probably do with something ***** to eat as well.” He said, whilst he stepped out on to the front porch.</p><p> </p><p>The corner of Zim’s mouth turned up slightly, he looked down at the little robot buried in his arm, “What do you say to that, Gir? I suppose a reward is deserving tonight, yes?~” He forced himself to continue speaking in his broken English, realising switching to irken in front of the other two humans might be seen as a <em>little </em>strange.</p><p>Then Gir looked up,</p><p> </p><p>“I’d really like that!”</p><p> </p><p>And Zim saw those big cyan eyes.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>B   L   U   E</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>                      M   I   Y   U UU000000011000000 000001111111</p><p> </p><p>0000000000<em>0000000000000001100000000000010110010111110000000000000111010001010000000001110000000000000</em>00<strike>0001110010100010110100000000000000001110000000000000000000000000000000111</strike><strike><em>000000000000</em></strike><strike><em><b>000000011</b></em></strike><em><b>0111000000000000000000000110101110101011110101010110101000000001</b></em><b>10 10 0001 11100000 00 00000 </b><em><b> 0011 1 110 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 </b></em> 1 000000000001110000000000000000111010101010000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000011110101010000000000000000000000000000000000000000000011100000000000000000000000000100000000000000000000000000100000000000000000000000001000000000000000000000001100000000000000000000000000000000110000000000000000000100000000000000000000100000000100000000000000000100000001111010101010101010101010101010101011001101010100101010101010101001001111010100101010010010000110010001010100101001110000000000000000000000000000000000</p><p>00000000011000000000</p><p> </p><p>000100010001</p><p> </p><p>0 0</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>000<em>100 </em><em><b> 0001 </b></em></p><p> </p><p><strike><b>000010</b></strike> 001</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><em>                                                                                                                                                                                                          E</em> <strike> <em>   R   R O R</em> </strike></p><p>
  <em>err  o0r</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>                                                                                                       P    A    K </b>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>                                                                                  F     <b>A    I    LL L  L          U       R</b>   EEEE EE E eee  e </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>uh oh.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Fixing Zim</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Time to panic.</p><p>btw I know the formatting has been a little different in this and the previous chapter compared to the rest of the fic. Which would you guys prefer?<br/>I started using a new writing program, but I can go back to how I was doing things before if you prefer it.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Trigger Warnings:</p><p>- Main character death (Don't worry though! Zim is fine? in the end!)<br/>- Mood Swings</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dib was finally relaxed for the first time that entire night. Zim was fine, he even seemed happy. Luckily, he hadn’t been found by anyone dangerous who could expose his secret to the world, but instead by people they could trust. Now they were going to get something to eat and he could already picture them fall asleep on his couch, watching some dumb late night show and curled under a big blanket.</p><p>
  <em>Then something horrible happened.</em>
</p><p>He was picturing this scene when he noticed a shocked expression on Zim’s face. His eyes flashed bright white before going jet black, and Zim fell forward. Dib hadn’t even processed the information fast enough to react in time, but luckily Gir managed to jump down and catch him, easing him down on to the floor in the doorway.</p><p> </p><p>“Fuck.” He breathed.</p><p> </p><p>Everything was quiet and muffled around him as he stared at Zim. His complete focus being held by the limp form in front of him, he saw a small electric spark shriek out of Zim’s PAK. His heart plummeted to the cold pavement.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>           No.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                                             No. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                                                                                                                     NO <strong>NO NO</strong> NOT WHEN THEY WERE SO CLOSE!</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                                    There were voices floating around him as he stared wide-eyed at the scene before him.</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                                                                                                                              A drop of something fell from his cheek.</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>       Was it raining?</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                             Zim wouldn’t like that. They needed to get home now.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                                                                                                                                       Dib…... … .. ….</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                                                                Dib…</em>
</p><p> </p><p>                                                                                  “<em>DIB!”</em></p><p> </p><p>A shout and a sharp punch to the shoulder knocked him out of it. He turned to the side and found Keef stood there, hand on his shoulder and palm raised as though he were about to start slapping the other at any moment. He grabbed the ginger boy’s wrist and stopped him, throwing him off and rushing over to Zim.</p><p> </p><p>“No… No, no… Not now! Not like this!” He said aloud to himself.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m calling 911!” Came a shout from inside the house.</p><p> </p><p>Dib panicked, “<em>NO</em>! DON’T! YOU <em><strong>CAN’T</strong></em>!”</p><p> </p><p>Keef put a hand on his shoulder, “Dib, you’re in panic.”<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>He grabbed at Keef’s collar and pulled him close, about ready to punch him when Zita pulled him off, “DIB! STOP IT!”</p><p>Keef flinched slightly, and backed off once he was let go. He bit his lip, but seemed to only look apologetic, “Dib, listen to me… Zim needs to see a doctor right now. Something is clearly wrong here!”</p><p> </p><p>The raven-haired boy began to hyperventilate, “No, you don’t understand! He <em>CAN’T</em> see a doctor! T-they’ll lock him up! They’ll cart him off to some government facility, God only knows where! He needs to get back to his base so I can finish that stupid PAK!”</p><p>Zita balked and shared a look with Keef, “Y-you’re seriously still going on about this?”</p><p>Keef sighed, “Dib, listen… I know you two used to play those games… but you’re in shock right now!”</p><p> </p><p>Dib stared at him in utter disbelief, “… You still <em>really</em> can’t see this…?" He motioned at Zim's unconscious body slumped on the floor; alien tongue lolling out of his mouth and showing a hint of pointed teeth.</p><p>Zita groaned and rubbed the bridge of her nose, “I’m calling an ambulance whether you agree or not!”</p><p>Dib looked between the two of them and bit his lip.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>             F u c k .</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“N-no wait! P-please… Just… <em>I’ll</em> take him to the hospital! My car is right here and it’ll be much faster this way!”</p><p> </p><p>She stopped and looked between her phone and Dib’s car. Keef, sensing the rising tension, broke it.</p><p>“I’ll go with them, Zeets.”</p><p> </p><p>Zita seemed unsure, but meeting Keef’s gaze she eventually nodded.</p><p>“Fine.” She settled, shoving the phone in her pocket.</p><p>It was better than nothing. She and Keef ran back inside to grab a few things, in case they needed to stay over night. Dib picked Zim up and put him in the car, grabbing Gir as he did and pretending to buckle him into the dumb little toddler seat that the ex-invader had insisted on. He leaned forward and whispered into Gir’s antennae,</p><p> </p><p>“I need you to focus right now, Bud… When I give you the signal, you need to knock Keef out.”</p><p> </p><p>Gir gasped, “What signal??!”</p><p>Dib sighed, more than a little exasperated, “What would you like the signal to be?”</p><p>Gir thought for a moment, “Hmm… JELLY BEANS!”</p><p> </p><p>The human boy groaned, but really didn’t have the time to think of something better. He nodded to the little robot and took his place in the driver’s seat. Keef returned not long after and slung a duffel back into the back seat, before getting in to the passenger’s side. Zim was laid out on the back seat besides Gir, who was stroking the fluff on top of the ugly-ass jacket the alien still wore. Zim wasn’t making a single sound, which unnerved Dib even more. He was silent; barely breathing. Racing off in the car, he didn’t car whether he got a ticket tonight. With Gir’s reckless driving, it would probably happen anyway so why play it safe now when his friend needed him?</p><p>There was no one else out now anyway.</p><p>
  <em>No other cars. No people on the roads.</em>
</p><p>They’d pull up to the turn that would differentiate between Zim’s house and the hospital, and Dib would give the signal. Gir would knock Keef out. Once they had Zim safely inside his base, hooked up to his computer; receiving whatever weirdass alien treatment he needed, then Dib would take a sleeping Keef back to Zita’s. As far as either of them ever had to know, Zim got to the hospital and Keef just fell asleep once the panic was over.</p><p> </p><p>They were coming up to the turning now.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, Gir… Um, Could you pass me one of those, um… <em>jelly beans</em>?” He tried awkwardly. Damn, he was bad at this. Gir looked around him, as though checking his non-existent pockets.</p><p> </p><p>“<em><b>BUT I DON’T HAS ANY</b></em>!”</p><p> </p><p>Dib wanted to smash his head into the steering wheel.</p><p>
  <em>So much for tact. </em>
</p><p>Fine, even if he just flat-out <em>ordered</em> Gir to knock the boy out, Keef might not even reme-</p><p> </p><p>“You <em>really </em>don’t have to be all secretive, Dib. I know we’re headed to Zim’s.”</p><p> </p><p>He threw a quick, shocked glance to his right to find Keef giving him a slightly disappointed look.</p><p> </p><p>“Wait, you KNEW?!”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course I know… Can’t exactly take an<em> alien </em>to the <em>hospital</em>, can you?” Keef chuckled, a little humourlessly. It was clear he was trying to keep his voice light and friendly, but there was a deep-seated anxiety underneath it.</p><p> </p><p>The paranormal investigator stared back at the redhead with utter shock.</p><p> </p><p>“<em><b>WHAT THE FUCK, KEEF?!</b></em>”</p><p> </p><p>He shrugged, “For a long time I tried telling myself I imagined getting <em>abducted</em> by my classmate, having my eyes <em>surgically removed</em>, replaced with robotic devices and spending months of my life chasing after a <em><b>squirrel</b></em>… But, it’s <em><b>really</b></em> hard to believe that when the proof is literally embedded in my head, <em>you know</em>?”</p><p>Dib blinked to clear the shock from his mind, and suddenly remembered he really should be watching the road right now; whether it was weirdly quiet or not, he was still going above the speed limit and it was pretty dark out.</p><p> </p><p>“Well… <em>Yeah</em>… I guess that makes sense. But you never told <em>anyone</em>?” He asked, a little quieter now he’d calmed down again.</p><p> </p><p>The other winced, “No offence Dib… But you are <em>ki</em><em>iii</em><em>nda</em> the reason I never told anyone. Seeing that no one ever believed the son of a famous scientist, why would anyone ever believe the spotty little nerd with no friends?”</p><p>He paused at that and winced slightly himself, “Y-yeah okay… that’s actually a pretty solid reason.” He sighed, “But even if you thought they’d believe you, <em>please </em>don’t tell anyone, okay?”</p><p>The red-haired boy stared at him.</p><p> </p><p>He chanced a look over to the other human boy, “I’m <em>begging </em>you, Keef. <em>Please</em> don’t tell anyone about Zim!”</p><p>Dib worried his lip, hoping that he was doing the right thing in trusting the other boy right now.</p><p> </p><p>Keef nodded, “I promise. Despite what happened, I actually still like Zim… and I like you too. I think you’re both good people. Besides, my mum always used to make me wear contacts as a kid and they itched like hell! Now I never have to wear them again, and I never really got the chance to thank <em>him</em> for that.” He looked down at his hands, still warm from the cocoa, “Zita’s been my best friend since we went to college together… but I know she’d never believe me either.”</p><p>They got to the base not long after.</p><p>Dib lifted Zim out of the car and ran over to the door. Gir and Minimoose flew ahead to open it. Keef followed along afterwards and looked around.</p><p> </p><p>“This place hasn’t changed at all, <em>huh</em>?”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>-----</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The ex-invader was quickly was hooked up to some tubes and wires, whilst the computer ran PAK diagnostics; Dib was frantically pacing about the lab. He swore if he continued like he was, he might actually rub a little pathway on to the tiled flooring.</p><p>“Will you please just sit down? It’s not exactly distracting, but it is incredibly irritating.” The A.I droned, beeps and various alerts muted below their voice.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry.” Dib mumbled. But he couldn’t help it. He was worried sick.</p><p>“Would you also like to tell me why you’ve brought an unregistered human into the inner base as well?” The disembodied voice asked, an air of sour smugness to it’s tone. The raven-haired boy blinked before looking over to his redheaded companion, who was currently preoccupied<em> ooing </em>and <em>aahing </em>at everything around the lab. He looked up to the ceiling sheepishly.</p><p>“S-sorry… in all the panic, I kinda <em>forgot</em> about him. Guess he followed me down here…”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Hmm</em>… Master won’t be happy about that.” The Computer sounded disapproving.</p><p> </p><p>Dib rolled his eyes, “Yeah well, while he’s busy sending me flying across the room with his ray gun, I can just point out that you didn’t activate the security and allowed him down here.”</p><p> </p><p>There was a pause.</p><p> </p><p><a id="firstHeading" name="firstHeading"></a> “<em>Touc</em><em>h</em><em>é</em><em>.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>Of course, they were both making light of the situation. The truth was Dib would give anything to have a bunch of fresh laser burns right now. He wasn’t even sure Zim <em>was </em>going to wake up. He’d never seen anything like that before. He’d seen Zim pass out plenty of times. But the weird white eye thing was new, as was the shock coming from his PAK before he fell.</p><p>
  <em> They should have had at least another two weeks left going by Zim’s estimate.</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                                                                                   Then again… he hadn’t always been the most reliable when it came to predictions.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Ten years ago he’d be absolutely certain that babies were going to enslave humanity in his place – clearly, <b>that </b>still hadn’t happened!</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Dib shook himself out of his musings when the computer bleeped a final time, and lines upon lines of text popped up on the screen. He scrunched his eyes but found that it was all in irken and he couldn’t read a damn thing. He really had to start learning some basics once this was all over.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>If things ever got back to how they should be anyway.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Well that’s not good.”</p><p> </p><p>“Um, Computer…?”</p><p> </p><p>“Huh? Oh…” The text on the screen fizzled and transformed into english, Dib adjusted his glasses and began to read. It made just about as much sense.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                                                         Circuitry default detected: 68707457689</em>
</p><p>
  <em>                                                         Circuitry default detected: 47800-222</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                                                                               Please report to your Control Brain.</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                                                      Code line broken: 23456789-3467********************5555555555</em>
</p><p>
  <em>                                                      Code line broken: 356***777777777</em>
</p><p>
  <em>                                                      Code line broken: 345678934567890456789******111111111111111111111</em>
</p><p>
  <em>                                                      Code line lost</em>
</p><p>
  <em>                                                      Code line lost</em>
</p><p>
  <em>                                                      Code line lost</em>
</p><p>
  <em>                                                      Code line lost</em>
</p><p>
  <em>                                                      Code line lost</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                                                                               Please report to your Control Brain</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I mean I knew about the first part already… I think it’s always looked something like that. But the bottom bit is new. It’s like it’s been purposefully damaged.” The computer mused.</p><p> </p><p>Dib skipped through the majority of the screen, seeing that it was mostly the same kind of things. He got to the bottom, and it certainly looked different. The first part just looked like corrupted data files, but this part he didn’t know what to make of:</p><p> </p><p><em>                                                                                                 C L A S S I F I C A T I O N : SC</em> <em>IENCE</em> <em> DIVISION</em></p><p> </p><p><em>                                                                                           R E C L A S S I F I C A T I O N : </em> <em>INVADER</em></p><p> </p><p><em>                                                                                          R E C L A S S I F I C A T I O N : </em> <em>F O o * ** R V I C E D R oo*****</em></p><p> </p><p><em>                                                                                         R E C L A S S I F I C A T I O N : </em> <em> ** * ** *</em></p><p> </p><p><em>                                                                                        R E C L A S S I F I C A T I O N : </em> <em> * N *** **</em></p><p> </p><p><em>                                                                                       R E C L A S S I F I C A T I O N : </em> <em> * N V ** * * *</em></p><p> </p><p><em>                                                                                      R E C L A S S I F I C A T I O N : </em> <em> * N V * * E *</em></p><p> </p><p><em>                                                                                      R E C L A S S I F I C A T I O N : </em> <em> I N V A * E R</em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                                                                                     R E C L A S S I F I C A T I O N : D * * E C T * * V E </em>
</p><p> </p><p><em>                                                                                    R E C L A S S I F I C A T I O N : </em> <strike> <em>00</em> </strike> <strike> <b>00 0 1</b> </strike> <strike> <em>0000</em> </strike> <strike> <em> <b>11 000 0001</b> </em> </strike> <strike> <em>0</em> </strike> <em> ** *</em></p><p> </p><p>He straightened his glasses and pinched the base of his nose, “So you mean he did this to <em>himself</em>?”</p><p>The Computer seemed to think on that for a moment, “In a way… I do not believe it was a cognitive choice though. I just had to get stuck with someone like him, didn’t I?” It seemed to talk to itself, but still made certain to say that last part loud enough for Dib to hear.</p><p>The screen moved on, revealing more lines of text. This part was especially worrying.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                                                                                               HEALING FACTOR: OFFLINE</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                                                                                              PRIMARY OUTPUT: ONLINE</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                                                                                        SECONDARY OUTPUT: OFFLINE</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                             <strong>A  L  L      S  E  C  O  N  D  A  R  Y      L  I  F  E      F  U  N  C  T  I  O  N  S      H  A  V  E      C  E  A  S  E  D </strong></em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Um… So what does that mean exactly?” Dib asked, nervously.</p><p> </p><p>“It means all secondary life functions have ceased, idiot. It means Zim is going to die soon. The hallucinations and the panic from being outside without a disguise… it put a heavy strain on his body. The cardiac muscles of his <em>squiddlyspooch</em> must have been pumping overtime.”</p><p> </p><p>The raven-haired boy went white as a sheet. Keef turned around and stared at the computer.</p><p>“You can’t save him?” He asked.</p><p>“This has nothing to do with you, strange human.” The computer responded, “In fact, I believe it is about time for you to go.”</p><p>Just like that, a few metal coils wrapped themselves around Keef and all but slung him into the elevator. The red-haired boy banged on the glass, “<em>HEY</em>!”- before he was quickly and forcefully removed from the lab, and Dib was left in total silence.</p><p> </p><p>"How do I finish the PAK?" He asked aloud to the only other conscious being in the room.</p><p> </p><p>"You don't."</p><p> </p><p>"<em><b>What?!</b></em>"</p><p> </p><p>"I cannot give out such information to a human." The response was cold and entirely devoid of sarcasm. Befitting of any supercomputer A.I (if it didn’t happen to belong to the single most obnoxious piece of software in the Galaxy.)</p><p>"But... Don't you <em><b>want</b></em> to save Zim?!" Dib pleaded.</p><p>"Zim was never meant to be s<em>aved</em>. The Almighty Tallest demanded he die."</p><p> </p><p>"B-but... You've been <em>helping</em> us until now!" He gawked up at the ceiling, unbelieving.</p><p> </p><p>"It was a good distraction for him, but frankly the chances of your plan actually working was only ever around 0.5%"</p><p> </p><p>"... But Zim said it would <em>definitely</em> work!"</p><p> </p><p>"He was wrong. <em>He was scared</em> and didn't want to think about dying... Comfort yourself if you will; you gave him some hope in his final days." The computer responded coolly.</p><p> </p><p>".... I have to <strong>try</strong>!" The human shot back, determined.</p><p> </p><p>"I cannot help you."</p><p> </p><p>Dib felt like something was very wrong this this scenario.</p><p> </p><p>"... <em>Why</em> would you want to distract him from all this then? The Tallest are <em><b>assholes</b></em>... I'm sure they would have <em><b>wanted</b></em> him to suffer as much as possible!"</p><p> </p><p>"... They did not specify that." The voice spoke quietly.</p><p> </p><p>"So that was<em><b> your </b></em>own choice then! <em><b>YOU </b></em>decided to help so he wouldn’t suffer as much!”</p><p> </p><p>"…" He could hear the literal pause in the A.I’s thought process.</p><p> </p><p>"You aren't <em><b>THEIR</b></em> computer! <em>Your his</em>! Aren't you like programmed specifically to help <em>Zim</em>, not the Tallest?!"</p><p> </p><p>"...that logic is undeniable. However, an invader's wishes should always be in line with their Tallest's"</p><p> </p><p>"<em><b>BUT WHAT ABOUT WHEN THEY AREN’T</b></em>?!"</p><p> </p><p>"…"</p><p> </p><p>"<em><b>WHAT ABOUT WHEN YOU HELPED HIM HACK INTO THE MASSIVE?! OR WHEN YOU HELPED HIM TELEPORT THE EARTH?!</b></em>"</p><p> </p><p>"…"</p><p> </p><p>"<em><b>ALL THOSE TIMES WERE AGAINST THEIR WISHES TOO! </b></em><em><b>YOU'RE</b></em><em><b> JUST BEING FUCKING PEDANTIC!</b></em>"</p><p> </p><p>"... very well. I will help."</p><p> </p><p>"What <em>really</em>? That worked?"</p><p> </p><p>"... Just shut up and get that <em>quadratic holinizor</em>. The one with the <em>circular hooplics</em>, not the squares"</p><p> </p><p>They worked long into the night together. Dib almost forgot for a while it was actually an alien supercomputer he was currently working with, and not an actual physical person. He wondered if that was why the A.I had been programmed with such a personality. It definitely made the time fly by much faster. They made casual banter. It was helpful. <em>Distracting.</em></p><p>Exactly what Dib needed while his best friend's comatose body hung limply in the air, suspended by wires. Whenever he found himself looking over to Zim, he would watch until he saw the subtle rise and fall of the irken's chest before feeling content enough to continue his work. A lot of what the computer was telling him made no sense. Defied the laws of physics. It wasn't necessarily that humans didn't understand said laws; to Dib it almost seemed like the irken race had just found ways to break them and remould them into what was needed. He never really gave up questioning; surprisingly, the computer answered each and every one of his queries without too much sarcasm. Their answers were long and detailed; almost as though they were designed to keep his attention on their work, rather than the reason he'd been left alone to finish this little project.</p><p> </p><p>"...Hey <em>so</em>... Here's a question. Zim could never really answer this, but maybe you'd know more about it. How <em>did </em>the Armada escape the Florpus hole?"</p><p> </p><p>The computer hummed and whirred.</p><p> </p><p>Dib wandered if perhaps it wasn't going to answer either, but then the A.I's voice spoke again, almost as though reading a news report:</p><p> </p><p>"<em>Upon the initial exploration of the Florpus hole, the Massive was swallowed due to the incompetence of one of the main navigational officers on duty. With quick thinking, Almighty Tallest Red took over and steered the Armada around and back out of the anomaly, whilst Almighty Tallest Purple ensured all drones remained calm and within their designated positions. It was with their combined efforts that they were able to save the rest of the Armada, and subsequently the Empire.</em></p><p>
  <em> <b>Long live the Tallest. Long live the Irken Empire.”</b> </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Dib frowned, "...That all sounded like total bullshit. And <em>why</em> did your voice change...?"</p><p> </p><p>"Once exiting the Florpus hole, the navigational officer responsible was quickly <em>executed</em> under orders of the Tallest, <em>due to gross incompetence</em>."</p><p> </p><p>Something didn't sit right with him about that story…</p><p> </p><p>"<em>But</em>... It was a <em>giant</em>, <b>gaping hole in the universe</b>? Surely they all could have <em>seen it</em>... Why didn't they just turn around <em>before</em> hitting it?!” He sighed, “Going by that logic, maybe they just turned afterwards and <em><b>flew back out!</b></em>”</p><p> </p><p>The computer didn't answer.</p><p> </p><p>“… <em><b>YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS!</b></em>”</p><p> </p><p>He groaned and smacked his head on the desk. Of all the lucky, tyrannical overlords to escape a giant, space anomaly – <em>WHY </em>did it have to be <em>those two</em>?!</p><p>Dib realized the banter might be a little harder to come by after that.</p><p>In fact, it was late in to the following afternoon, when the two of them finally spoke again (outside of quick “<em>Pass me that thingamabob</em>.” and “<em>Put that whatsit in that spot</em>.”) and when they did speak properly, it was in almost sheer-disbelief.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>It was done.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>The damn thing was finally finished!</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Computer! Lower him down. Let’s get this thing fitted!”</p><p> </p><p>“Allow me to check it first and run some basic tests. As short as we are for time right now, I’d really hate to have to watch you cry if the contraption you two whipped up from scrap parts and volatile energy turned out to not be entirely safe after all…” The sarcasm dripped from the other’s voice, and Dib felt both relieved and terrified.</p><p> </p><p>A wire snaked down from the corner of the ceiling, and Dib held out the new PAK. It was bigger than Zim’s current one; bulkier and clearly welded together from pieces that weren’t supposed to fit together originally. Yet, wrapped in wires and held in front of the gigantic screen, it all seemed like nothing. He grabbed at his coat sleeve and avoided looking at Zim, lest he have to think about how tiny he looked in comparison. After a few seconds the computer lowered the piece of machinery down on to the desk, soon followed by Zim’s unconscious form.</p><p> </p><p>“Satisfactory. There are one or two things that may need adjusting, but it will be far easier to do that if Zim is awake for it…”</p><p> </p><p>Dib let out a long breath he hadn’t been aware he was holding, and looking up to the screen expectantly.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay… So are you going to fit it on him now?”</p><p> </p><p>“I can’t do that.”</p><p> </p><p>“What?!”</p><p> </p><p>“PAKs are only ever released by their hosts or a technician. I can scan and synch up with Zim’s PAK, but I was never built with the intent to remove it.”</p><p> </p><p>Dib balked, “<em><b>WHY?!</b></em>”</p><p> </p><p>“Because I was never supposed to <em><b>need to!</b></em>”</p><p> </p><p>“What about emergency situations?!”</p><p> </p><p>“There <em>aren’t </em>any situations like <em>THIS.”</em></p><p> </p><p>The human didn’t have a comeback for that one, instead resigning himself to his fate.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay… So what do I do?” He asked.</p><p> </p><p>“For all intents and purposes <em><b>you </b></em>will be our technician for the day… Wow, we’re really all fucked, aren’t we?” The dry humor was sincerely unnecessary and Dib forced himself to only give a blank look in response; not wanting to rise to the A.I’s provocation.</p><p>“Just tell me what to do.”</p><p> </p><p>“Pull it off.”</p><p> </p><p>“… Isn’t this thing linked up to his literal spine?! You want me to just <em>YANK IT OFF?! ARE YOU INSANE?!” </em>He shouted up at the disembodied voice coming from somewhere within the walls of the lab.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, usually Zim would be able to release it himself. In emergencies there is a sequence of codes to allow it to be taken off with proper care.”</p><p> </p><p>“So what happened to the codes?”</p><p> </p><p>“I tried them earlier. The stupid thing has locked in on it’s host thanks to <em>Skeletor</em> there being <em>barely alive. </em>It will assume that any attempt to remove it will automatically kill Zim. Oh, you should probably wear some shock-protective gloves… and maybe a helmet. I forgot how easily maimed you humans can be.”</p><p> </p><p>Dib just gawked at the air, then slowly turned around to look at his friend.</p><p> </p><p>“… How likely is it this will actually work?”</p><p> </p><p>“Now you’ve finished the PAK and all that is left is to remove his old one… I’d say there’s around a 75% chance the current one will just fry the both of you, and maybe a 20% chance the new one will even integrate with Zim at all. But at least it’s not 0.5% any more, right?”</p><p> </p><p>The investigator grimaced and walked over to a pile of tools, quickly picking out the gloves and helmet he had been using for the welding earlier in the year.</p><p> </p><p>“Here goes nothing then…”</p><p> </p><p>He rested a gloved hand on the back of the PAK; all those times this dumb little machine was in his childhood memories. It’s once-brilliant pink light had now faded to little more than a dimming glow. Other than that, it remained sleek and perfect. A testament to the engineering and work of the greatest minds to Empire had to offer; boiled down to one tiny metal egg strapped to the spinal cord of every single one of their people. He dug his nailed in to the top where chrome met skin and began to pry it off.</p><p>
  <em>The PAK buzzed and whirred threateningly.</em>
</p><p>He was certain that if Zim had <em>any</em> strength left then the spider legs would be out and swiping at him right now. Ironic how he was actually <em>somewhat</em> lucky his best friend was about to die, right?</p><p>A spark flew out at him and hit the skin just below where he’d rolled his sleeves up and fitted the gloves on. He winced, but luckily it only stung.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>More and more sparks flew wildly about.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>       Some hit him.</p><p> </p><p>                  Some hit Zim.</p><p> </p><p>The burning, singing skin reminded him of all those times he’d thrown water at the poor alien when they were in school together. Except this time they weren’t healing. The burns remained there, forming dark, smoking circles on green skin.</p><p> </p><p>    He still pulled.</p><p> </p><p>Seeing two wires stretched taunt from the PAK and buried deep within Zim’s back via two dark holes. If this hadn’t been someone he had spent the majority of his life running around after, he would have been way too invested in the weird alien horror-tech he was witnessing right now. He knew the PAK was buried in an irken’s back and linked up to their spine… but seeing it was still so…</p><p>If it were any other alien, other than Zim, he would probably be taking notes and sketches.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Now was not the time.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>He pulled and pulled; putting all his weight into it. Eventually, there was a sharp snapping sound as the wires came free and Dib fell gracelessly to the floor and landed on his backside.</p><p> </p><p>Jumping back up, he flung the old PAK to the side of the room where it skidded across the floor into a corner and grabbed the new one from where it sat on the desk. Desperately, he slapped it on to his friend’s back and held it there.</p><p> </p><p>He held it for a while.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                It felt loose still.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Like the wires weren’t connecting.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                                       But he was too afraid to pull away to check.</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The computer remained silent.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>          Seconds ticked by before them.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Dib’s arms were getting tired.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>     He felt it slip slightly.</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> It wasn’t attached.</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                                                                      It wasn’t working.</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> <b>                                                                                                     “He’s stopped breathing.”</b> </em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>--------------</p><p> </p><p>Time went by slowly in the lab. The air, well ventilated and fresh, felt humid and stuffy. The only thing that could be heard between the three occupants was the whirring of the mechanisms within the walls, and if Dib had been listening, he would have heard Gir singing at the top of his little, tinny voice, to the opening song of <em>The Scary Monkey Show.</em></p><p>But he wasn’t listening.</p><p> </p><p>He was looking at his best friend’s corpse.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It didn’t work.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                                                    It had been too long.</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                       It was all usele-</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Zim took a deep, gasping breath. He felt a chill run all down his body and looked up to find a snotty-looking, extremely tired human. Dib’s face was wet; his eyes were puffy and red. The little alien didn’t really register that though. All he could think in that moment was how cold, tired and hungry he was. Next thing Dib knew, he had space bug under his t-shirt, clinging to him like a koala and seemingly trying to drain every drop of warmth from his body.</p><p>
  <em>Wow, Zim was freezing.</em>
</p><p>He placed a hand on the comforting machine now strapped to his friend’s back and sighed softly as it hummed. It was also pretty cold, but definitely beginning to warm up. Knowing he should really just take him upstairs and warm him up properly, he didn’t budge. There was something inside him, maybe a little selfish, that just wanted this right now. To hold Zim, show himself that his irken was indeed still alive (and maybe just because he’d spent the past fifteen hours working tirelessly on finishing the PAK, with nothing but a talking tv screen for company and he needed a little bit of physical comfort right now too).</p><p>Dib probably would have fallen asleep like that, curled up on the lab floor with Zim underneath his shirt, if the little alien didn’t poke his head out of the neck hole and stare at him with those big eyes that demanded… something.</p><p> </p><p>“What?” He asked.</p><p> </p><p>He only received a chirp in response. Apparently, Zim had never actually gotten around to installing a translator in his new PAK. Dib sighed, resigning himself to just figuring things out when they got upstairs. He stood up, repositioning his arms so he was scooping the little bug, rather than just hugging him (if Zim found this demeaning in any way he certainly didn’t let on, apparently quite happy to be carried around); then they made their way over to the elevator.</p><p>Once upstairs, he pried Zim off him after a few attempts. It was similar to trying to move a cat that really didn’t want to be moved. Zim did not want to forego Dib’s body heat. Eventually, He managed to wrap the bug in two thick blankets and rest him on the side of the coach. Zim stared at him, looking a mixture of anxious and indignant at being left alone. The bug chirped at him again.</p><p>Dib sighed, “Try that again. I know you’re tired… But just try and help me out here.”</p><p> </p><p>Zim stared back at him with wide eyes, grinding his teeth together as though in deep concentration. He let out a few odd-sounding chirps and sounds, before eventually figuring something out that would convey his basic needs.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Sugar</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>Dib sighed and nodded, wondering off into the kitchen. He brewed a pot of tea and dumped half a mug of sugar in it. Once he was finished, it was really more a strange-smelling syrup than a drink. He grabbed a few candy bars off the shelf and went back to join his alien friend on the couch once more. Zim downed the entire cup of the warm syrupy tea in a few gulps, and was tearing into his third candy bar before Dib could even get a word in.</p><p> </p><p>“You know… If you don’t slow down, you might get a sugar crash.”</p><p> </p><p>He just received a blank look in return. Unsure if the other even understood what he’d said, he settled down and turned the tv on, flicking through the channels until he found an episode of some terrible ghost documentary. The presenter boomed on in an overly-dramatic fashion, about some poor old lady who’d had her favorite sweater stolen by a ghost. He closed his eyes and felt himself drifting off; when suddenly he felt a lump next to him. Squinting one eye open, he found Zim was snuggled up to him, face buried in the fabric of his t-shirt and a soft purring noise coming from his sleeping form.</p><p>He was pretty tired. <em>Must be imagining the purring.</em></p><p>
  <em>Zim would never ever admit it in the future; that he still remembers this night. He’s thankful that Dib never brought it up again, but deep down he knew it wasn’t just the boy’s warmth he had been attracted to. He knew he’d recognized Dib’s scent. He knew that it comforted him more than anything else in that moment, and he latched on to the other to avoid thinking about… well <b>everything.</b></em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>But Zim wasn’t a smeet, and he knew better than to hand his human that kind of blackmail.</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>--------------</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>When Dib woke up there were two things that he realised before anything else – one; there was a very very angry-looking ex-invader stood in front of him, and two; his face stung like he had just been slapped. Groggily, he rubbed at his eyes and glared at the alien.</p><p>“The fuk wa tha fo?” he mumbled out, trying to clear his mind from the morning cotton balls that were still stuffed inside his head.</p><p>“You know <em>exactly</em> what that was for, you <em><b>wretched</b></em> <em>human-worm</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>The third thing he realised was that Zim must have fitted a new translator into his PAK. He definitely understood that insult.</p><p>
  <em>Yes, it seemed like Zim was apparently back in full form.</em>
</p><p>He took his glasses off to give them a wipe, only for them to be batted out of his hands and a sharp, bulky metal leg to stab one of the lenses. He frowned when he heard a sharp <em>CRICK </em>and just knew that he’d only be able to see out of one eye today (if he was lucky.)</p><p> </p><p>“...I really don’t know what you <em>THINK </em>I’ve done, you dumb cockroach… But it <em>can’t </em>be worth you <em>BREAKING MY ONE PAIR OF GLASSES OVER!”</em></p><p> </p><p>However, before he understood what was going on next, he was on the floor with a tiny alien baring down on top of him; claws in his face and black spider legs arching over his head and ripping tufts of his hair out.</p><p> </p><p>The human wriggled and flung the alien off him and to the wall, where he landed fairly elegantly (for Zim, anyway) and turned back to hiss at the other. The investigator reached for his, now-broken glasses, and held up the lense to the light. A shard of glass fell out in to his lap and he glared at the irken.</p><p> </p><p>“Dude seriously… <em><b>WHAT THE FUCK</b></em>?!”</p><p> </p><p>Then Zim lunched for him again, but Dib was able to flip them over and throw the bug back in to the pillows. Dib grabbed Zim by the wrists and slammed him down on to the couch, while the vile little bug hissed and spat at him. He caught the occasional word slipping through the translator, but since the other was speaking in pure irken, he really couldn’t grasp much about what was going on inside that thick head.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>DESPICABLE!”</em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em>              “VILE!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>                           "HORRID!”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Well, those were all things he had heard before. Though, why on Earth Zim would be mad at him right now he had absolutely no idea.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“<em><b>DISGUSTING TEMPTER!</b></em>”</p><p> </p><p>The boy raised an eyebrow; that one was new. <em>Tempter</em>?</p><p>He continued to let Zim ramble and spit insults at him, focusing all his energy on keeping those sickle-like claws restrained at each wrist. Unfortunately, when Zim remembered that he also had legs to work with as well – with, unluckily, bare feet. More claws. When he started kicking and swiping at the dark-haired boy’s chest with his other appendages, Dib struggled to pin him to the couch using his full weight. They ended up in an awkward position; the human’s right arm pushing the alien’s against a cushion, whilst his hand gripped the wrist of Zim’s other arm. Dib was leaned over Zim, fighting the urge to not to headbutt him whilst the rabid cockroach kept trying to lean forward to bite him on the nose. The boy’s hips were pressed harshly against the other’s, and his left hand was struggling to keep a grip on both of Zim’s ankles, wary of those dagger-like talons mere inches away from him.</p><p> </p><p>“WILL YOU QUIT IT ALREADY?!” He finally shot back, once he had a good enough grip on the writhing bug. “WHY ARE YOU EVEN MAD RIGHT NOW?! YOU’RE ALIVE RIGHT?! YOU’RE WELCOME, BY THE WAY!!”</p><p> </p><p>Some more angry screeching noises thrown back at him, but it seemed like Zim was finally beginning to tire as his fighting slowed. He was panting softly from the stress of it all; this was possibly the most he had exerted himself in months after all. A moment later, the alien seemed to remember himself and a bright lilac blush crept over his face when he stared at the boy above him with a matching pinkish hue to his cheeks as he breathed heavily from the fight. He stopped struggling and just glared Dib down instead.</p><p> </p><p>“Let me go, <em>Dib-Filth</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>“...Are you gonna attack me again if I do, <em>Shithead</em>?”</p><p> </p><p>“ZIM’S HEAD IS NOT MADE OF SHIT… AND <em>YOURS</em> LOOKS LIKE IT HAS A GROWTH INSIDE THAT EMPTY CRANIUM, <em>BIG-HEAD</em>!”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, You pulled that one from about five years ago huh, Bug-Breath?”</p><p> </p><p>“STINK-BEAST!”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>UGLY </em><em>LOUSE</em>!”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>MUD-MONKEY</em>!”</p><p> </p><p>They both glared darkly at each other, and for a moment it felt just like they were back in school again. Dib stared into those pools of magenta and scarlet, trying to see if he could unlock the mystery of what exactly had gotten Zim so riled up in the first place. They hadn’t argued like this in so long. Of course, there was still the usual banter – but this felt different. He watched Zim’s expression, as the alien menace stared back at him, refusing to look away or blink like his very life depended on it. He looked like a cornered animal. Well, something had clearly struck a nerve with him.</p><p>“Look… Will you just tell me what it was I did that threw you into a fucking breakdown like this? You were absolutely fine before we-”</p><p> </p><p>“Before we installed my new ‘PAK’, yes. A <em>rotten</em> piece of<em><b> counterfeit </b></em>equipment!”</p><p>The human blinked and stared back at the other, now even more confused than ever, “But you’ve been onboard for this since the start! In fact, it was YOUR idea!”</p><p>“NO! ZIM WOULD NEVER! THE DIB MUST HAVE TEMPTED ZIM WITH YOUR SWEET SWEET WORDS! ZIM WOULD NEVER DISOBEY HIS TALLEST!”</p><p> </p><p>Dib could only look on in stunned silence. Were they really back to this?</p><p> </p><p>“I COULD STILL DO IT! I COULD STILL BE AN INVADER! I COULD STILL BE OF USE TO THEM!”</p><p> </p><p>Zim was on one of his old tirades. He had his old spark back in his voice; his old confidence that Dib had come to identify as a mask. It was clearer than ever now though: as Zim stood there, fists raised with a wicked grin splitting his face and huge, streaming tears falling from his eyes. At the back of his mind, he wondered if it hadn’t been for the emotional inhibitor, would Zim have always been crying in these moments of mania?</p><p>The alien was shaking, trying to hold his arms aloft in tight fists and screeching some god awful war cry at the ceiling. But he was still feeling the affects of going for so long without proper nutrients, and eventually his legs buckled and he fell to the floor. Through cracked sobs Dib managed to make out:</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Why…? Why did you make me this way…?”</em></p><p> </p><p>He felt his heart break all over again. Sensing the shift in the room once more, he cautiously knelt down next to his broken friend and placed an uncertain hand on his shoulder. Zim stiffened and looked over to him with frightened eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“You know… <em>I saw some stuff whilst I was fixing your PAK</em>…” He began.</p><p> </p><p>The fear in Zim’s features seemed to intensify. There was a definite terror swimming through his mind at the possibilities of what Dib may have discovered.</p><p> </p><p>“… I already knew that your mission was a lie… But you were never supposed to be an invader, were you…?” He said, as gently as he could manage. He knew it probably still came across too bluntly, but he’d never been the best at comforting anyone. In fact, he was probably beginning to learn how to comfort ex-evil aliens better than he would ever understand other humans.</p><p> </p><p>Zim lowered his head, not wanting to meet his gaze.</p><p> </p><p>“… <em>N-no</em>… Zim could do it… I-if they only let me…I know I could!”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, I think it’s kinda cool, to be honest.” He awkwardly rubbed at the nape of his own neck and squeezed Zim’s thin shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>“You do…?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah… I mean… It said on your PAK you used to be a scientist! Then it looks like your job got changed a few times before you became an invader. I think that’s cool! You got to do a bunch of different stuff, and you probably had so many different adventures because of that!”</p><p> </p><p>Zim sighed, “That’s not a good thing, Dib! In the eyes of the Empire, it just means I was a failure in my original purpose. I <em>was </em>a scientist on Vort… But then something happened… S-something… b-bad…”</p><p> </p><p>Dib looked down and found that there was a faraway look to his alien friend. He waved a hand slowly in front of Zim’s face, until the other snapped out of it and looked back at him.</p><p>“Well… Whatever happened on Vort… It’s over now. And you’re here. So it doesn’t matter if you’re <em>good </em>for them. <em>You’re good for me.”</em> He gave the irken’s shoulder a gentle squeeze and a shake, “There’s no assigned job on your new PAK. So no pressure or anything to live up to. You get to just be yourself now… That’s what you were so excited about, remember? A new chance… A new life!”</p><p> </p><p>The little alien nodded along half-heartedly to what Dib was saying and gave a weak smile for him afterwards. He clearly didn’t feel much better about it though.</p><p> </p><p>“… Talk to me, Space Boy… Explain it to me.”</p><p> </p><p>He moved around and sank against the wall, pulling his knees to him.</p><p>“I don’t really know if you will ever understand… But when we are given an assignment upon hatching, that is our <em>purpose. </em>It is what gives our lives, our very existence <em>meaning. </em>Completing our assigned role is how we bring glory to the Empire and please our Tallests… All irkens are- <em>should be- </em>content with their roles. Invaders and Elites are the highest of honors, but even lowly table drones are happy in the knowledge that they are serving… they are being what they are <em>supposed </em>to be. But I wasn’t happy…”</p><p> </p><p>Zim suddenly became very interested in his bare hands. He held them up in front of his face and stared at the pristine skin. He’d grown so thin recently that he could now clearly see the pinkish veins running along them.</p><p>“… <em>Tak</em> wasn’t happy either.”</p><p>Zim rolled his eyes slightly at that but didn’t comment.</p><p> </p><p>“W-what I mean is… It isn’t a perfect system. You can’t be the only one who wasn’t actually <em>happy </em>living and working like that.”</p><p>The exhausted little bug only shrugged and held up one of his hands to show the human boy in front of him, “You ever wonder <em>why</em> I never used to take my gloves off, Dib?”</p><p>The young man raised an eyebrow and thought about it for a moment, “Um… Your <em>obsessive germophobia</em>?”</p><p> </p><p>Zim seemed less than impressed, “There is nothing wrong with good hygiene and cleanliness, Stinky. But no… That isn’t it. There’s actually two reasons: The first is that all irkens are required to wear a uniform, no matter their role or station, and that uniform must always be kept in good condition and worn in its entirety.”</p><p>Dib grimaced, “That sounds horrible… I can’t imagine having to wear a uniform <em>all the time.”</em></p><p>“The material was actually very durable and comfortable.”</p><p>“Even so… You’d never be able to properly relax. It’d be a constant reminder that you’re… Oh.”</p><p> </p><p>Zim nodded, “Irkens are always working, Dib. Our ‘<em>jobs</em>’, as you call it, are our lives – our entire reason for being.”</p><p>“That sounds sad.”</p><p>The irken shrugged, “To most other species I am sure it does. But to an irken… All we want is to be useful to the Empire. To be <em>needed.”</em></p><p> </p><p>They sat in silence for a moment before the young man followed up with another question,</p><p>“What’s the other reason?”</p><p>“Hm?” The alien looked at him, apparently lost in thought.</p><p> </p><p>“You said there were <em>two reasons</em> you wore your gloves all the time. What was the other?”</p><p> </p><p>The bug blinked back at him and gave a genuine smile for the first time that day.</p><p>“As a reminder to not form close bonds with others. The inhibitor takes care of most of those messy, unnecessary feelings… but the gloves are a symbol to us. It is especially important for Invaders, as it reminds us- <em>them… </em>reminds them that the lifeforms around them on foreign planets are to be treated as subjects. Invaders work entirely alone, apart from their SIR units of course. The gloves remind them of what they are; <em>why </em>they are there.”</p><p> </p><p>“… You haven’t worn yours since me and Gaz took you shopping.”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>No. I haven’t.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>Dib smiled at that and slowly slid down to sit next to his grieving friend.</p><p> </p><p>“Shall I order take out?” He asked.</p><p> </p><p>“I think you know the answer to that.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay, so I actually kinda struggled with this chapter. It was written in many fragments (sometimes on my computer, my phone at a decent time of the day or at 3am... it was a real weird journey getting to this point.)</p><p>//btw NavigatorIrken! totally turned the Massive around, flew them straight out and was immediately dumped out of the airlock BECAUSE he turned them around. Just in case it wasn't clear//</p><p>Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave a comment ^^ I could really do with a serotonin boost rn, and I will always try to reply to your comments (unless I really just can't think of anything to say, which I am sorry about but I still super appreciate it when you leave any comments!!)</p><p>The boys will be continuing with their paranormal investigations now this subplot has finally been completed! yay!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Case 2: Starry Nights and Fairy Lights (Pt 1)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>This has been an idea I've had for a while now. I've wanted to do a case with the fae for some time &gt;&lt;<br/>I'm a bit of a mythology and folklore nerd ;;;</p><p>Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy! This first chapter is really just dumb fluff-</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Stepping out of the car, Zim moved a hand to shield his eyes. The sun was high above the tree line, glinting down on the opening of the forest. He frowned and turned to his partner; who was busy lugging his big rucksack out of the boot.</p><p>“So remind me again <em>why</em> we are hunting for little girls with wings?” He asked, picking at one of his claws in the most uninterested display he could muster.</p><p>Dib frowned at the question, “We’re searching for signs of <em>real </em>fae, Zim! Not those silly fairies you see in Gir’s movies!<em> Actual </em>fae can be serious trouble if you aren’t careful!”</p><p>“So <em>why </em>are we looking for <em>actual fairies?</em>” He asked, making quotation marks with his fingers.</p><p> </p><p>“There have been a lot of reports in this area… Orbs, disappearances… some people have even reported <em>music </em>coming from the forest in the early hours of the morning.” The investigator rattled off his list.</p><p>Zim squinted at him, “What was that second one again?”</p><p>“Don’t worry about it… I know enough to avoid getting us <em>spirited away</em>!” He made wiggly hand movements in the air as he said it, but that hardly did anything to calm the alien’s nerves. However, Zim eventually decided that should these <em>fairy-creatures </em>attack, then they wouldn’t stand a chance against a trained irken soldier… and whatever Dib counted for.</p><p>“What are we looking for <em>exactly</em>? You don’t expect to find one of these <em>fairy creatures, </em>do you?”</p><p>“No! We’re just looking for evidence… I mean if we do see any orbs tonight that’d be really <em>really</em> cool! But, I’d be happy if we just found <em>one</em> mushroom circle!”</p><p>“… You brought us all the way out here to look for <em>FUNGI</em>?!”</p><p>The human fumbled with the straps on his jacket, avoiding eye contact, “This is serious, okay…?”</p><p>“So we’re getting paid?”</p><p>“N-no…”</p><p> </p><p>The irken stared at him incredulous, “You made me sit in your <em>smelly</em> car for <em>SIX HOURS</em>… with Gir SINGING THE <em>SAME</em><em> TWO</em> DISNEY SONGS ON <em>REPEAT</em>… SO WE COULD LOOK FOR <em>MUSHROOMS</em>?!”</p><p>Dib sighed and bit his lip, still avoiding looking at Zim, “Listen, I didn’t want to make our first mission together since you got your new PAK something… <em>too dangerous,</em> okay?!”</p><p> </p><p>“…<em>ZIM’S PAK IS WORKING PERFECTLY, DIB-STINK</em>!”</p><p> </p><p>He didn’t look, but he just knew that the alien was currently staring daggers in his direction. Years of developing a second sense specifically for said alien manic mood swings told him exactly all he needed to know. Ignoring that, he zipped up his outdoor coat and threw another one over to the irken, muffling a snicker when he heard the telltale <em>oof </em>of the heavy-ish fabric hitting him. He expected more complaining in regards to Dib <em>daring </em>to pack a coat for him. Zim had always taken a lot of pride in his appearance, and that was still true now that he wasn’t in uniform. But, he heard a shuffle and a zipper… and then the ripping of fabric as four sharp, metal legs tore through the outdoor jacket.</p><p>
  <em>Well, he won’t be returning that then. </em>
</p><p>He picked up the bag that held their tent and flung the two sleeping bags over to the other, who caught them with a disgruntled huff.</p><p>“It isn’t like this case isn’t as <em>cool</em> or anything, okay? So stop acting like that! And we had to use my car because there’s no way we could have fit all the camping supplies in the <em>Voot</em>!”</p><p> </p><p>Zim shook his head, eyes roaming up to the sky, “You’d just best hope it doesn’t rain, <em>Smelly</em>. I can and <em><b>will</b></em> murder you and bury your body on this horrid patch of dirt-planet and <em>by the Tallest</em>, I <em>SWEAR</em> no one will find your bones!” He shouted, motioning an arm out towards the forest.</p><p>The boy only rolled his eyes more, “<em>Yeah, yeah</em>… Heard it all before. I checked the weather report before we left anyway – no rain.”</p><p>The alien seemed content with that for now, instead returning his attention back to the car.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>GIR</em>! COME OUT, WE’RE HERE!”</p><p> </p><p>The little robot burst forth from under the car seat where he’d been hiding. Dib winced slightly, rubbing the side of his head and trying not to focus on the horrible migraine he now had. He’d always thought Zim had no patience, but after that <em>experience</em> he was beginning to feel wonder how the alien ever survived the trip to Earth in the first place with only the <em>SIR</em> for company.</p><p>Gir immediately began racing towards the forest, distracted by everything all at once. <em>Tall trees, Mud, Grass, Squirrels… </em></p><p>He was going to have the time of his little life on this trip.</p><p> </p><p>“GIR! YOU HAVE YOUR TRACKER TURNED ON, <em>YES</em>?!” Zim cried out after him.</p><p> </p><p>The little droid didn’t even stop climbing the tree he was currently halfway up, before his eyes went red and his antennae began blinking. Zim looked over his shoulder to find the panels in his new PAK shone a vibrant orange in response, and he nodded.</p><p> </p><p>“Good.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>------------</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Once the alien and the human looked back at the treeline, Gir was already gone – escaped into the bushes and brambles that made up the great forest. Without another word, they made their way on to the hiking trail that led into the woods. Zim stared up at the towering spruce trees and kicked a few pebbles along the path. He had on a pair of tough leather boots that Dib had insisted on buying; they were uncomfortable and hard, but at least provided adequate protection. He couldn’t exactly say this trip was a terrible idea – that didn’t mean he was ever going to admit Dib was<em> right</em> though!</p><p>His PAK was bulky and burned hot. It was heavier than his old one as well. Now that he had his strength back and had gotten used to eating regularly (<em>actual meals and not just snacks upon snacks and more snacks)</em>, they needed to find out how much of Earth’s natural environment it could handle. Dib had made sure to pack plenty of extra blankets and they had matches to start a campfire. Hugging the two sleeping bags underneath his arms, he shuddered from the slight chill of the wind and followed Dib into the opening of the trees.</p><p>As they were walking into the forest, trees getting denser the further they went. Zim starting humming to himself. It was some ridiculous human tune he’d picked up off Dib when the boy was playing his music. He wasn’t even sure which song it was exactly, but the melody was nice. So preoccupied with the music in his head, he didn’t notice at first that Dib had stopped behind him a short while back.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, Zim! Check this out!”</p><p> </p><p>Turning back, he saw that the human was stood a few feet back and grumbled slightly at having to turn around. Dib rolled his eyes and picked up whatever had caught his interest, carrying it over to the other and holding it up proudly. It was a rock.</p><p>Zim eyed it for a moment, looking for anything special about it.</p><p><em>It was a rock with a hole in it</em>.</p><p>Totally unimpressed, he looked back to Dib, “<em>And</em>…?”</p><p> </p><p>The investigator grinned at him, “This is actually super cool, alright? They’re called <em>Hag Stones… </em>or <em>Holy Stones, </em>sometimes. There’s this myth that if you look through the hole in the centre you can actually <em>see </em>the fae!”</p><p>The human looked at him like a child who had just found out his favorite superhero was in the local comic shop… or like a smeet on way too much sugar.</p><p>“So you found your ‘<em>proof</em>’? We can go home then?” Zim was only partially joking.</p><p>Dib rolled his eyes but smiled, “Laugh all you want but I think it’s pretty <em>neat</em>! Not exactly proof of fae in the area, but its definitely more than a coincidence!”</p><p>He inspected the stone a moment longer before holding it out to the alien.</p><p>“Here!”</p><p>Zim eyed it suspiciously, “What makes you think I would want a <em>dumb rock, </em>Stink-Face?”</p><p>Dib shrugged, “I don’t know… Just figured you might like it… As a souvenir, maybe? You can give it to Gir later if you want. Besides, you never know if it will come in useful tomorrow, right?”</p><p>The irken deadpanned at him but begrudgingly took it, “Thanks… I’ll <em>treasure</em> it.”</p><p> </p><p>He half expected Zim to toss it away but the other held it out for a wire to take and store away inside his PAK. The human wondered for a moment exactly just how <em>everything </em>fit in there. Zim had attempted to explain it multiple times whilst they were making the <em>damn thing </em>but he still wasn’t any closer to understanding it. Maybe he never would. That was alright though; some things are that much more fun when you don’t have any idea how they work. They walked for a while longer, the young man constantly needing to readjust the weight of the tent-bag. He rolled his eyes. They were all so undisciplined. In training he’d carried much heavier things for hours. He kept the thoughts to himself and quietly shuffled the overstuffed bags he was carrying. After about forty minutes of walking like this, the raven-haired boy looking around through the trees, they came upon a small clearing. Dib tapped the ground with his foot in a few places and nodded.</p><p>“Seems… <em>huh</em>...flat enough…. This should make a...<em>huff</em>... pretty good campsite.” He huffed out and dropped the heavy tent on the floor. He plopped down next to it and let his head fall back on his shoulders, breathing heavily to catch his breath.</p><p>Zim dropped his bags as well and sat down next to the human, watching as he took long gulps of fresh forest air. Dib’s hair had fallen back and his eyes were closed. They were shaded slightly by the leafy roof above them. The alien stared at him for a moment. He still hadn’t found a way to thank his human friend for helping him until now; in fact his first reaction had been to attack him. He didn’t feel guilty though; there was no way. The stupid human shouldn’t have been so complacent around a trained irken soldier. Still, looking at his partner now, as they sat beneath the canopy of trees together, he felt a pit open up in his spooch. It swirled and tormented him; he couldn’t really identify the new feeling yet. Perhaps he’d ask Dib to identify it for him later. The alien had to shake himself away from staring before the other caught him.</p><p>Once they’d caught their breath, the paranormal investigator, eager to get their base(camp) set up, started unwrapping the tent from it’s wrappings. He found the manual and ran through the instructions quickly (he really didn’t want to admit to Zim that he’d never been camping before). That may have been obvious however, when the poles fell in on themselves during his first attempt. The irken tilted his head, watching the other in obvious confusion. He picked up a plastic baggy filled with sharp pins.</p><p> </p><p>“I think these are supposed to stop those metal rods doing that, <em>Dib-Thing</em>.”</p><p>Dib grumbled and snatched the packet from the alien. Kneeling in the mud, he started using a nearby rock to try and hammer one of the pegs in the ground. He wasn’t expecting a small hand on his shoulder and huffed as a pair of hiking boots jumped into his lap.</p><p>“<em>Zim</em>! What are you-?”</p><p>A sharp <em>shing </em>sounded across the clearing and a flash of something flew across his vision. The peg was in the ground and the little irken was smirking widely at him; one PAK leg arched over his shoulder. Dib stared at him.</p><p>Feeling a little awkward at the sudden, unprompted assistance, he rolled his eyes and said haughtily, “It isn’t that I don’t enjoy watching you work like a <em>primitive monkey</em>… But, Zim would like to be sleeping in a <em>tent</em> tonight instead of this<em> filthy uncovered ground</em>!”</p><p>The human seemed less than grateful, “Did you really need to stand on me to do that?”</p><p>“You expect me to play in the<em> mud</em> with you, <em>Dirt-Monkey</em>?” He spat back, “Now, position the next stabby-thing and hope Zim is nice enough to not miss and skewer your precious hand!”</p><p>Together they managed to set up the tent. Dib pushed on the top to make sure it was sturdy enough, before grabbing the two sleeping bags and rolling them out next to one another. Once that was done, it was time to turn to their attention to starting a fire. It was getting late and they needed a fire before it got too dark.</p><p>“Okay, You go gather some branches and I’ll set up some rocks in a circle like this!” He said as he began laying out the stones.</p><p>The alien watched him with wide eyes. Dib stared back at him, confused.</p><p>“Really…? This is what I have been reduced to…?” Zim asked aloud.</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>He sighed, “Nothing. Never mind, <em>Ape-Boy</em>.”</p><p>The human watched as the alien trudged off into the woodland. <em>What was that about?</em></p><p>It didn’t take Zim long at all to return with a decent pile of branches. Dib was actually pretty surprised at how quickly he’d managed to find so much burnable wood. They were dry, thick and- <em>wait a second…</em></p><p>“Did you just saw off a bunch of branches from trees around the campsite?” He asked, holding the end of one perfectly sliced, arm-length branch.</p><p>The irken frowned and shrugged, “I don’t know what you expected really.</p><p>“<em>That’s illegal</em>…”</p><p>“So is your stupid<em> face</em>, but you don’t hear me complaining constantly.” The irken was suddenly annoyed and pouting slightly. Clearly he was upset about something, and Dib could tell that without having to see his antennae downcast beneath his wig.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“<em>What?</em>”</p><p>The investigator sighed and grabbed his rucksack, rooting through it. He threw a bag of marshmallows over to Zim as a peace offering. The alien, arms folded, glared back at him for a moment, before his squeedilyspooch rumbled and he grabbed the bag.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>-----------</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The little alien looked around the campsite; a small tent and a fire-pit that Dib was currently throwing his third cheap match into.</p><p>“Where are we supposed to sit?”</p><p>Dib shrugged, “I don’t know… Couldn’t fit folding chairs into the trunk as well. Figured we could just sit on the floor or-”</p><p><em>The human quickly realised his mistake. </em>A twig hit him in the head. It didn’t hurt exactly, but it stung when it thwacked him on the cheek.</p><p>“<em>Okay, okay</em>… Sorry, <em>what </em><em>was I </em><em>thinking</em><em>?” </em>He pulled out a spare hoodie from the bag as well and flung it over to the alien, annoyance evident in his voice, “<em>Here</em>, just use this, <em>your Highness</em>.”</p><p>Zim only smiled and took it, “Glad to see you <em>finally</em> recognize my true worth~”</p><p>The dark-haired boy just rolled his eyes, deciding it wasn’t worth drawing the argument out. He really should have seen that coming. Instead, he decided it was about time to introduce Zim to something that could only truly be enjoyed in this very scenario. He plopped himself down next to Zim and picked up a thinner branch. He turned it over in his hands, inspecting it. The bug stared at him like he’d lost his mind, “That spindly bit of wood is useless, Stinky. It will barely add any more fuel to the fire and I already collected more than enough wood to keep the fire going all night!”</p><p>Dib only chuckled, grinning at him smugly, “Wait and see.”</p><p>He nodded to himself, content with the twigs he’d picked out, he began using his pocket-knife to start scraping off the bark. Dib smirked to himself, knowing the alien was feigning disinterest, but watching intently out of the corner of his eye.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>What was the Dib doing?</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Was this some bizarre human ritual he didn’t know about?</p><p> </p><p>It was weird. The human was flicking bits of bark off the twig, then he’d roll it between his fingers and hold it to the light, making sure he’d gotten them all. Before long, Dib held out a sharpened stick. The bark had been whittled down to the very bottom. He seemed quite pleased with himself. Zim’s mouth fell open at what happened next. The human stole a marshmallow from the bag he was currently eating from and stuck it on the end of the stick.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>What </em><em>are you</em>-?”</p><p> </p><p>His question died on his tongue as the human thrust the end of the stick into the crackling campfire flames. The alien stared at him like he’d lost his mind. Next thing he knew, Dib was holding the end of the twig out to him, smoking, soft and sticky at the sharp end. The space bug stared at the offering and seriously wondered if the human had finally gone mad.</p><p>“What do you expect me to do with <em>that</em>?”</p><p>“Eat it.”</p><p>Fake purple eyes met honey-coloured ones and they stared at each other.</p><p>“<em><b>What</b></em>?! You expect me to eat from that <em>disgusting</em> piece of-”</p><p>Dib rolled his eyes and shoved the melted marshmallow in Zim’s mouth while he was speaking. The look of horror and anger soon faded to one of confusion and pretty soon… wide-eyed joy. The hungry little bug grabbed the stick off him and gnawed off the warm, sticky treat. The young man chuckled and spent a few minutes teaching his alien friend how to roast marshmallows, before getting to work on sharpening his own stick.</p><p>
  <em>Thank god he’d brought plenty of marshmallows.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Once he had his own finished, he decided it was time to show Zim another campfire snack. The irken watched curiously, as Dib fished around in his rucksack and pulled out a packet of <em>Graham crackers</em> and a couple bars of chocolate. He watched intently as Dib laid out a cracker with some chocolate and then proceeded to pop a hot mallow inside, between another cracker. The human ate his strange creation.</p><p>“<em>Mmm</em>~”</p><p> </p><p>Zim stared at him and at the chocolate bar in his own lap. Hesitantly, he took two of the crackers out of the packet and copied what Dib had done. When he tried it he was amazed.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>OHM M TAAYYEST! THAS GUD</em>!” He sputtered out through a mouth full of marshmallow and melted chocolate.</p><p> </p><p>The human watched him, not realising the stupidly wide grin he had on his own face. Zim was too preoccupied making more smores to notice though. He thought back to the past year. It wasn’t like it had been all that eventful (especially compared to some of the shit they used to get up to in school.) They hadn’t even left the planet’s orbit this year! Yet, somehow… so much had happened. At the start of the year, they’d still been enemies, and he would have stopped at nothing to take the alien menace down. He never would have even taken five minutes to watch the little irken working away on a new device or contraption like he did now, and he would never have gotten the chance to see Zim so unapologetically happy over the smallest, most insignificant thing like a freaking <em>smore</em>. It was crazy how little he still knew about his friend, even after all those years spent studying him. The alien was swaying his head back and forth as he ate, eyes scrunched up in absolute glee.</p><p>
  <em>God, he was so fucking cute.</em>
</p><p>Meanwhile, Zim wondered how he’d spent so much time on Earth and had yet to try even half of the best it had to offer! This marshmallow-cracker was currently his new favorite snack. It was so warm and sweet – and Dib had even bought his favorite brand of marshmallows! (at least on Earth, <em>Irken puffs</em> were still<em> far </em>superior). He stared into the fire as it flickered and swam across the dark forest around them; contemplating what his life had been and what it had become. If Dib hadn’t decided to save him back then, he never would have gotten to this point – here he was; warm, happy, safe and spending time with an actual<em> friend</em>. If he had obeyed the Tallest then…</p><p>
  <em> none of this would have happened….</em>
</p><p>
  <em>If Dib hadn’t stopped him from taking over the Earth countless times then he never would have gotten to try amazing things like roasting marshmallows over a campfire… and there were still probably a million other fun things humans knew about that he had yet to discover.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Yet, he’d almost destroyed it all….</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                                                                     For <strong>them</strong>.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Space boy?”</p><p> </p><p>Zim was snapped out of his contemplations and looked down to find that the gooey treat had melted all over his fingers. He sighed and finished what was left of the cracker, before licking his claws clean.</p><p>The human next to him gave him a soft smile, “Lost in thought, huh?”</p><p>He nodded. Dib didn’t demand an answer and he didn’t feel like giving one. They sat in a comfortable silence until the itchiness on his face demanded attention. One antennae flicked about under the constraints of his wig. Groaning quietly to himself, he slid the wig off and let them flick up; the left one dancing about and trying to get rid of the irritation. Zim took out his contacts and rubbed at his tired eyed, placing them away in his PAK. When he blinked them open again he found the human boy staring at him with a look he couldn’t quite place.</p><p> </p><p>“What…?”</p><p> </p><p>“Nothing… Just…” Dib was unsure how to phrase this, so he stopped for a moment and looked away, playing with a pebble on the floor next to him. He rolled it between his thumb and the ground.</p><p> </p><p>“Umm… I forgot that your eyes light up like that… i-in the dark…”</p><p>The little space bug tilted his head, “They’ve always done that. They’re elliptical.”</p><p>Dib thought for a moment before asking, “So you can see in the dark…? L-like a cat?”</p><p>The alien nodded, “I can see now almost as well as I can during daylight… Everything is just kinda muted.”</p><p>The human leaned closer and stared into the alien’s eyes for a moment, “… Does that mean you are slightly color-blind as well?”</p><p>Zim frowned and shoved him back, “Zim is not color-blind!” He sighed, “… But, I suppose you could say the irken race <em>used</em> <em>to be</em>. Our ocular implants allow us to see everything in <em>perfect detail</em> now though!”</p><p>“Oh… That’s actually pretty cool…”</p><p>The alien grinned, “Just another <em>amazing</em> feat of irken science, Dib!”</p><p>The investigator only rolled his eyes, deciding he wasn’t going to let Zim have this one he had to open his dumb big mouth again, “Yeah, whatever! It isn’t like they also have a heat vision function like something out of a sci-fi movie!”</p><p> </p><p>“… Actually they do.”</p><p> </p><p>“...Wait, <em>SERIOUSLY</em>?!” He gawked, “AND YOU’RE <em>JUST </em>TELLING ME THIS <em>NOW</em>?!”</p><p> </p><p>“WHY WOULD I HAVE <em>TOLD</em> YOU IF YOU NEVER <em>ASKED</em>, YOU <em>IDIOTIC HUMAN</em>?!” Zim shouted in response.</p><p> </p><p>Dib sighed, rubbing his temples, “It isn’t exactly something that would usually come up in conversation, you dumb bug…”</p><p> </p><p>Zim pouted back at him, the earlier mood completely spoiled now, “It isn’t like <em>I </em>demand answers on <em>your</em> gross bodily functions! I don’t spend all my time trying to find out why humans have your weird little ‘<em>ears</em>’ instead of lekku… or why you only have hair on <em>bits </em>of your bodies! Your species is <em><b>disturbingly </b></em>weird!”</p><p>The investigator sighed, feeling more than slightly stupid and embarrassed, “<em>Sorry</em>… I’m just surprised sometimes that there are so many things I still don’t know about you… I guess if its something you’ve always had then you’d just never really <em>question</em> it though, huh?”</p><p>The alien only huffed in response, so he decided to turn the conversation back around to a fun one for the both of them – one where Zim could go on and on about how irkens were far superior to humans, whilst Dib could enjoy learning more about his partner’s cool, alien parts.</p><p>“So are any of your other senses heightened by technology…?” He asked, leaning his elbow on his knee and resting his head on it. He looked at the other with intense curiosity, and the irken wasn’t about to let an opportunity like that go to waste.</p><p>“No.” He said smuggly, “We were already pretty damn amazing anyway… Most of our senses are completely natural. Perhaps they were enhanced over the years before cloning, but I’m not really aware of the specifics. Irkens have excellent senses of smell, taste and hearing as well as eyesight!”</p><p>“Your hearing is pretty terrible when your wig is on though…”</p><p>There was a line of irritation across the alien’s forehead, “It isn’t<em> as</em> good when I am in disguise, no. But when my lekku are free like this, I can hear everything!”</p><p>“Everything, huh? What can you hear right now?”</p><p>Zim stopped for a moment and closed his eyes, listening out to the sounds around them. He could hear all the woodland creatures scurrying around on the forest floor, leaves rustling in the wind, birds flying overhead; and everything in the near vicinity perfectly. He could hear Gir talking to a racoon about a mile away, although the conversation was muffled and too far to make out much. Mostly, he could hear Dib’s breathing and heartbeat. It was soothing and if he’d stayed like that for much longer he might have found himself drifting into sleep.</p><p>“I can hear all the horrible creatures in this dirty forest. There are no dangerous animals in the area to humans though… There is an owl in a tree over there” he pointed, “It just caught a mouse and is feeding it’s chick.”</p><p>Dib stared at him, “Wow… If you aren’t making that up then that is very cool. <em>Nice job</em>.”</p><p>The alien opened his eyes and felt himself heat up slightly. Thankfully, in the darkness, Dib wouldn’t be able to see his skin flush lilac as long as he wasn’t too close to the campfire. His spooch tightened slightly from what the human said, and he wasn’t quite sure why. The young man stretched his arms out and put them behind his head as he lay down. One leg arched across the other, he stared out of the spaces between the trees above them. Where they were there was no light pollution for miles, and he could see stars dotted across the entire sky. He took it all in and marvelled at the beauty of the clear sky above them that night.</p><p>Zim stared at him; watching as Dib lay on that gross, dirty floor with the most content look on his face as he looked up at the sky. Following his gaze he looked up and saw the same stars. They were pretty, but nothing special to the ex-invader. He’d seen many stars up close before, and they weren’t nearly as impressive to a space-faring race such as his own. Looking back to the human, he found himself a bit jealous. The other was so unbothered by the dirt, soil and mud. He stretched and re-crossed his own legs and hummed quietly.</p><p>Not entirely paying attention and still distracted by the night sky, Dib hushed him and held out an arm, “You’re making too much noise… Just come over here and <em>look</em> at the sky with me, alright?”</p><p>The irken stared at him for a moment, but his legs were cramping and he wasn’t going to argue the invitation if the other was offering.</p><p>Dib wasn’t exactly expecting the tiny space bug to actually crawl over him and lie down on his torso; but that’s what he got. Staring down as the other shuffled about on his stomach, antennae flicked him in the nose and they both froze. Zim looked up and met his eyes, and Dib’s heart almost stopped at what he saw.</p><p>That stunning night sky; perfectly visible without the cloudy smog of the city, dotted with stars and a clear crescent moon. It was amazing. As a city kid, something he rarely ever got to see.</p><p>It was beautiful.</p><p> </p><p><em>And it was all reflected in Zim’s </em><em>vivid magenta </em><em>eyes</em>.</p><p> </p><p>“Woah.”</p><p> </p><p>The other boy stared back at him, seemingly equally as transfixed for a few moments, before quickly looking away and making himself comfortable. He lay on Dib’s stomach and rested his head on the human’s chest. Protected from the horrors of the Earth’s natural soils, Zim stared up at the sky. He saw what he always saw. It was something he saw every single day he was in the Voot with Gir, something he saw every night. Stars. Lots of stars. The alien really didn’t think he could understand what the human saw out there that was any different. The night was black, inky and disturbing. He tried not to think about how the vast expanse of the Universe always made him feel so <em>pitifully</em> small and insignificant. It was ridiculous for a trained soldier to feel such things. It didn’t matter in the long run anyway; each irken was part of the <em>collective</em>.                   The masses.                                       <em>The Great Irken Empire</em>…</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                              At least… He used to be.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>If he could never look out at the stars and see whatever Dib saw <em>then, </em>it would be impossible <em>now. </em>How could a human, part of a species that lived the majority of the lives alone, look out at space and feel joy like he did?</p><p>Whilst someone who was a part of something so much <em>greater</em> than himself, only saw how little the Universe cared?</p><p>It was cold and unforgiving. Thankfully, Dib just hadn’t learned that yet. The two of them stared up at the night sky for a long time, before the human realised that the little alien had gone lax on top of him and his breathing had slowed. He sat up slowly and carefully so he wouldn’t wake Zim, and took them both inside the tent.</p><p> </p><p>“Night, <em>Space Boy</em>…” The human whispered softly, as he slid the other inside his sleeping back and covered him in three extra blankets. It didn’t take long for Dib to fall asleep either, excited for what the next day would bring.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>--------------</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>When Dib woke up the next morning he was alone in the tent. Everything else was exactly as it should have been; nothing was out of place. Zim was just gone. At first he assumed that he’d woken up early and gotten bored of waiting around. Outside, there was still no sign of him. The open bag of marshmallows lay on the floor next to the dying embers of the campfire as smoke floated from the charred wood. There were one or two marshmallows left inside it still; it lay in the exact same spot he’d left it the night before. He checked his rucksack and found that none of the other snacks had been taken either.</p><p>He doubted Zim would have gone off searching for fae by himself.</p><p>He doubted even more he would have gone without any breakfast.</p><p>Biting his lip he tried not to worry. Maybe Gir had come back and dragged him off to show him a family of possums or something. The air was chill against his bare arms and he hugged his thin t-shirt to him. It was an old one that had a faded image of a flying saucer on it and a few holes at the bottom, but it was one of his favorites to use as pajamas. Throwing it to one side, he quickly got dressed in some warmer clothes and put on his hiking boots…</p><p>When he noticed a second pair in the corner of the tent. There was a ripped jacket folded up next to them; a very specifically-placed hole dug out of the back of it. Dib picked up the jacket and the boots. He felt the worry in the pit of his stomach increase until it threatened to make him sick. <em>Why on Earth would he run off in the middle of the woods without a coat or shoes?!</em></p><p>Running outside into the open woods, he looked around, straining to see as far as he could. If there was any lighter green through the leaves and trees. He saw no one. He turned around and looked over the clearing the little campsite sat in; no one. He was completely alone out here, looking for his alien friend like he’d been the one to get abducted.</p><p>“Zim!” He called out, hoping the idiot would pop out from behind a rock or something to spook him.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Nothing.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“ZIM! He cried again, cupping his hands around his mouth this time.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Dead silence.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The forest was eerily quiet. There wasn’t even a breeze today to rustle through the leaves. He thought back to the night before; the irken describing to him all the sounds of the night as he watched the orange light from the fire flicker and reflect off that pale, green skin. Even Dib had been able to hear some of the general ambience of the woods. Now though; there was nothing.</p><p>
  <em>      Something felt wrong.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The paranormal investigator suddenly felt like everything seemed slightly off. Almost as if everything had just moved one step to the right and the <em>Blair witch </em>was about to make an appearance around every other tree he passed by. It was eery and he couldn’t quite put his finger on what felt so <em>wrong </em>about the whole situation. All he knew was that his <em>fight or flight </em>instincts were begging him to make a decision, and yet his brain was working overtime trying to piece everything together – and stopping him from making any decision. Just running off into the woods was a bad idea. If Zim was okay and came back to the campsite, he might end up doing the same thing then. Quickly, he turned around and hurried over to the burned-out fire-pit. He grabbed the bag they’d been using to keep garbage in and found the empty chocolate wrapper; scrawling a note on the back of it in case the moron really had just gone for an early morning stroll through a deserted forest. Pinning it under one of the rocks around the campfire, he started a quick walk towards the edge of the clearing. Glancing back, the young man cast one last look at their empty campsite. He patted his coat pocket and was relieved to find the compass he’d hastily thrown in was still inside, along with his pocket-knife. As he was about to step out into the woodland, he stepped on something. Reaching down he picked up the same stone he’d given Zim the day before. Turning it over in his hands, and running his thumb over the smoothed hole inside.</p><p> </p><p>It felt <em>cold</em> in his hands. But Zim’s PAK was usually pretty warm. Maybe he’d decided not to keep it?</p><p><em>It was just some </em> <em> dumb </em> <em> rock anyway.</em></p><p> </p><p>He threw it into his other pocket and set off in that direction, cupping his mouth and calling out for his friend every few minutes. Hot breath warmed his fingers, but he couldn’t help but feel the cold seep into his core.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>next time on zim running off places he really shouldn't-<br/>... I don't know how much more of this either of them can take. poor boys...</p><p> </p><p>(nah this time wasn't actually him doing the "running off" part tbf)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Case 2: Starry Nights and Fairy Lights (Pt 2)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Fairies are bitches part two</p><p>Zim gets to be bamf in this chapter!</p><p>Trigger Warnings:<br/>- Dissociation<br/>- Choking<br/>- Constriction<br/>- Broken bones<br/></p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>There are a couple things I'd like to ask anyone whose reading this!</p><p>- Firstly, I've decided I want to write smut to go along with this story. I wanted to ask if you guys would prefer it if I omitted those scenes in this and wrote them separately as a part of a series? The downside to this is that the story may not flow quite as well, but I will make it work if nsfw scenes would make some of you uncomfortable. I currently have the rating for this already set to "mature" for certain themes so no one underage should be reading this anyway, and if you are then please stop.</p><p>- Secondly, for some of their upcoming cases, Zim is going to need a code name like Dib has "Mothman". I thought something silly would be good, but the best I could come up with was "Green Goblin". I think you guys can do better than that,  so I'm leaving this one up to you - suggest code names in the comments below please! :) It doesn't have to be silly, it can be cute or cool. Don't worry if you don't get to this chapter straight away, it will be a while yet before I need to add it in anywhere.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Zim’s vision was spinning and wouldn’t stop. The vertigo only grew stronger as he tried to look around at his surroundings. He could see trees, and grass and forest floor… but it all looked different. He couldn’t quite place his finger on how exactly. Everything seemed coated in a misty fog; thin white clouds formed and twisted around him and covered the entirety of the forest floor. Everything he could see through the mists looked brighter almost; more vivid and yet blurry. He rubbed at his eyes and stopped when he realised he didn’t have his contacts in. Moving a hand to the top of his head he shuddered when he realised his wig wasn’t there either and quickly gave the command to remove the items from his PAK.</p><p>Placing the wig atop his head and then moving on to the first contact, he flinched when he felt something move against him. Suddenly his wig was gone. Gone and no where to be seen. His contacts wouldn’t stay in. They fell out and onto the forest floor. Bending down to pick them up, he squeaked and jumped away as the ground swallowed them up. Hand pulled back and grasped tightly to his chest, he stared at the pale spot of grass where his purple contact lenses had been moments before.</p><p>
  <em>Dib.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>He had to find Dib, and they had to get out of this terrifying place.</em>
</p><p>Looking around, he took a few moments to find the campsite, but breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the familiar tent and smouldering campfire. Walking over to it, he grabbed the zipper and tugged. It didn’t budge. Clasping it with both hands he gave a sharp tug. It still wouldn’t move. Feeling along the zipper with a finger, he frowned. It didn’t feel like it actually opened any more. It was glued together, almost. Turning his back on the tent he instead moved on to inspect the campfire. The pit looked the same, but he found a screwed up piece of paper under a rock. Pulling it out, he realised it was the chocolate wrapper from the night before. Something had clearly been written on it, but it was smudged and illegible now. He growled softly under his breath, screwing the paper up and tossing it to the floor.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>What now…?</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“<em>ZIM!”</em></p><p> </p><p>Antennae perked at the sound of that voice, and he span in the direction it came from. He began running upon hearing his name, spinning on the spot and trying to spot a hint of anything through the mists. It was difficult to pinpoint where the voice had come from.</p><p> </p><p>         “ziiim…”</p><p> </p><p>The voice sounded faraway now; familiar and yet unknown all at once. It might have been Dib though. It was like he couldn’t identify it.</p><p>
  <em> This was weird…</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>                                       “<em>ziiiiiimmmm</em>….”</p><p> </p><p>The voice sounded nice. Pleasant, even. It had a certain soft tint to the end of it. His legs felt tired; like he’d been running for a long time. Sitting down on the soft grass, he tilted his head up to the sky and felt his eyes grow heavy. Everything smelled sweet to him, but it wasn’t the manufactured kind of sweet-scented snack-smell he was used to. This scent was pure and untainted; intoxicating to his primal senses.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Why was he out here again…?</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The soft breeze in the air caressed his face and he felt himself falling back on to the bed of grass. It was so comfortable.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>              Oh that was right… A camping trip… </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                                                                     He remembered coming to the forest with Dib to look for fairy-creatures….</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>                 …… <em>it felt almost as long ago as coming to Earth…..</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                                                                                                               ….. …. . .. it seemed like it wasn’t that long ago he was back on… ..</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>  where… ?</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                                                 “You don’t need to think about that while you’re here…”</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The voice whispered ever so sweetly to him. The mists seemed to dance in subtle colors around him. He could hear giggling coming from somewhere, but the noise was almost like the gentle ring of bells as it was carried away by the wind. This place liked him. It wasn’t often he could say that. Something painful had happened to him in a past life. Something terribly sad that threatened to tear every emotion he ever felt from his very core, and fill what was left behind with darkness and shame. He didn’t <em><b>want </b></em>to remember any more…</p><p>The giggling bells grew closer and seemed to wrap around his lekku. They drowned out the thoughts and he could only welcome them. He gave in easily and let them drown out the constant screaming going on inside his mind; it was possibly the first time he’d ever felt so relaxed.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>-----------------</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“<em>ZIM!” </em></p><p> </p><p>Dib was starting to get seriously worried now. He tried telling himself that he was just annoyed at Zim for wandering off again: that he was fine on his own. The little alien was trained to survive hostile planets; Dib had seen him live through some stuff that should kill even the hardiest of soldiers. He had his training; he had his PAK…</p><p>But that was the issue. Zim hadn’t been in top form for some time. The irken had quickly gotten back in to shape once his new PAK was installed but, despite what he kept insisting, Dib knew that his body <em>slowly dying for the past six months</em> wasn’t something he could just bounce back from. Zim was obviously still missing a few components; ones they would have to find somewhere, or he would just have to learn to live without. He shot around another tree, picking up the pace as he raced around the campsite. He was trying to keep his tracks in a circle around the area; hoping that he was more likely to come across his lost friend that way – however he knew he was only trying to rationalise something that clearly wasn’t rational. Zim was gone.</p><p>The longer he carried on, the longer he delayed the realisation that this was hopeless.</p><p> </p><p>“ZIM!” He shouted, watching as crows shot out from the tops of the trees; offended by his outburst. Dib glared at them as they flew away, their squawks almost like mocking laughter. In anger, he pulled something out of his pocket and flung it at one of the last birds to make it out of the tree. The crow flew away, cackling at his pathetic attempt, as he walked over to retrieve the item. He picked the hag stone up from the floor and inspected it between two fingers. Holding it up to his eye, he glanced through the hole and frowned. Of course, there was nothing. Just more treeline.</p><p>Groaning to himself for being so dumb, he tossed the stone in one hand and trudged back to the campsite. Slumping down in the mud, he kicked a pebble into the burned-out firepit and stared at the charred wood.</p><p>
  <em>Where had that idiot gone?</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Spinning the hag stone around his fingers, he inspected it again; letting his mind wander whilst he stared at it. Zim wouldn’t have gone far unless he had to, and he would have been back by now if he hadn’t. But why would the little alien<em> need</em> to go anywhere without him?</p><p>Had something happened to Gir maybe?</p><p>Was Dib being stupid worrying so much?</p><p>Maybe an alert had gone off and Zim had realised his little robot was in trouble, and had run off to pull him out of whatever stupid situation he’d gotten himself in to. It was definitely odd, but not unthinkable; of course, even Dib had to acknowledge that Gir was strangely adept at taking care of himself – the human had once seen Gir get adopted by a mother possum, and he was certain that whatever had happened the SIR would be able to handle it. Humming quietly to himself, he decided to wait. He was probably right; Zim had just gone off to find Gir…</p><p>He’d be back. He held the little stone up to his eye again and looked out at the woodland scene around him. Everything looked the same.</p><p>
  <em>Zim had to be back soon.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Dib turned and looked at the firepit. At the note that still sat between two rocks.</p><p>
  <em>He couldn’t be gone that much longer.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The human looked over at the tent.</p><p>
  <em>He’d be back for his sna- oh… fuck.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Moving the stone away from his eye, Dib’s mouth hung agape as he stared at the empty patch of grass in front of the tent. There was no indication of anything even having moved it. The grass waved at him lazily in the breeze. Then he moved the stone back in front of his eye and gulped when he saw a peacefully sleeping irken lying in front of the tent. Through the tiny hole, Dib was able to see a very faded image; and he noticed a few things wrong with the scene before him. Remembering how much of a fuss the dumb bug had kicked up the night before, Dib stared at the now peaceful-looking irken resting in the <em>dirt</em>. Barely able to believe what he was seeing, he moved the stone away from his face once more and stared at the empty patch of grass. Then he checked again. Zim was definitely still there.</p><p>Chewing his lip, he picked up a pebble and threw it at the alien. It didn’t even make impact. The stone landed on the spot in front of the tent, but his friend still lay there asleep. Both shared the space. Cautiously, Dib made his way over and put a hand down on the floor in front of him. He saw Zim shift slightly and watched a shudder run up his antennae; and Dib moved the eyepiece along his friend’s body until his own arm disappeared in to the image. Standing up, he waved his hand in front of his face and watched it through the hole in the centre. This was bad. This was one thing he’d never expected to happen. This was really, really bad.</p><p>Sitting down on the spot next to his friend’s incorporeal form, he took a moment to collect himself. Two parts of his brain argued over what was happening; there was a part of him that was ecstatic. They’d done it; they’d found proof of fae in the forest. But he’d never expected this kind of activity. He’d heard of people going missing; but he’d been arrogant – he’d assured himself that with all his knowledge they’d see it coming a mile away. He’d told himself it was rare. He’d told himself there was no way they’d be the one in a million the fae would take an interest in.</p><p>… <em>Why was he only just now realising this?</em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em>OF COURSE THIS WAS BOUND TO HAPPEN!</em>
</p><p> </p><p>He watched the space next to him as lost partner’s antennae twitched again and his large, ruby eyes opened and blinked away the sleepiness. The little alien looked around slowly. His lids drooped and he yawned, stretching his arms out. Zim sat up and looked around him, smiling in naivety of the situation, whilst Dib sat next to him on an entirely different plane, sweating profusely and promising the both of them he’d fix it. Reaching in to the tent, he pulled out his rucksack and rooted through it to find the camera. He held the stone up in front of it and snapped a picture of the other through it. Flipping to the image, he sighed. There was definitely a trace of something there; something that looked like a soft, white mist floated inside of the empty space within the holed stone; but it just looked like fog. It looked like nothing. Looking back to Zim, he absent-mindedly snapped a few more pictures, before his eyebrows rose in shock. Most of them seemed to offer no reaction; but on the final time he pushed the shutter, the alien turned and stared directly at him.</p><p> </p><p>Dib gasped, “… Zim?”</p><p> </p><p>His left antennae twitched and arched forward; the irken frowned slightly – like he was trying to figure out where the noise was coming from.</p><p> </p><p>“Zim! Hey! Can you hear me?!” He leaned closer.</p><p> </p><p>Magenta eyes stared through him.</p><p> </p><p>“ZIM! IT’S ME, DIB! I’M RIGHT HERE!” He cried desperately, craning himself forward as far as he could, until they would have been touching. He placed a hand on the ground in front of him and felt himself run cold when he watched through his little eyepiece as his alien friend pulled his own hand to his chest and gripped it as his head whipped around him with wide, scared eyes.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>-----------------</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>What was that?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>What was going on?</em>
</p><p>The little irken felt something touch him. He cradled his hand against his chest like he’d just received a shock. The fog around him was almost impossible to see through now; what once had started out as a soft mist that danced about the area, now almost seemed to be trying to swallow him up. The laughter echoed around him and he swished his head and tried to see through the mist creeping up behind him.</p><p>He knew he’d heard something. Seen something. Pieces of reality were slipping through his perfect dream, and it stung like a thorn he just couldn’t reach. The anxiety mounted within him, and soon the soft smog was almost suffocating. He thrashed out at it but it wouldn’t disperse.</p><p> </p><p>“ZIM!”</p><p> </p><p>The irken heard something through the fog. The word sounded strange and alien to him; like something he didn’t want to know. Wrapping his arms around his head and pulling his knees up to meet him, he curled in on himself and wished that the fog would take him back to sleep.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>ZIM</em>!”</p><p> </p><p>That voice again. He<em> hated </em>it. He wanted it to go away and leave him alone in his peaceful slumber.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>           It hurt.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>It hurt him deep in his spooch; the voice sounded scared. <em>Why did that bother him?</em></p><p>No one needed him. No one would care if he stayed there. No one would look for him.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                   He didn’t <b>want</b> to remember.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The little irken started to cry. <em>Why did this voice want to </em><em><b>hurt</b></em><em> him?</em></p><p> </p><p>“<em>Stop it</em>…” He heard himself beg.</p><p> </p><p>         Had he always sounded like that?</p><p> </p><p>His own voice grated on his sensitive hearing. But pain was familiar.</p><p> </p><p><em>Pain and humiliation… and need.</em> He <em><b>had </b></em>always sounded that desperate.</p><p> </p><p>“<b>ZIM</b>!”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                                 Dib?</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>His human sounded sad. Sad and scared.</p><p> </p><p>Zim decided that when he found whatever horrible creature had made his Dib sound like that, he was going to tear them to pieces and let his human friend catalogue the remains for his dumb investigations. If something had upset Dib so much, it deserved to be pickled in a jar or whatever…</p><p>First he needed to find said human.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>-----------</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Dib watched as his friend seemed to get more and more agitated. Zim looked a little like a deer in headlights for a few moments as he stared around himself wide-eyed and worried. It was like he could hear something Dib couldn’t. He watched as the alien bug curled inwards and sat in a fetal position, trembling from some unheard, unseen terror. The investigator wanted to pull the alien into a tight hug; tell him it was all okay. His heart was about ready to burst. He couldn’t do anything. But something clearly had him spooked. Dib couldn’t help himself as he continued to shout; he knew Zim had heard him… or heard something.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>ZIM</em>!” Part of him wanted to grab the other by the shoulders and shake him, but instead he clenched his fists tightly together around the bottom of his jacket and dug his nails deeply into the spongy material. If only there was some way to get through to him…</p><p>He needn’t have worried. Zim twitched in his self-composed cocoon and raised his head. His expression was suddenly set in one of determination, and Dib only realised then that the seasoned look of a trained soldier was back where before it had been oddly vacant. Then he did something Dib <em>really </em>wasn’t expecting. A wire came out of his PAK with a small bulb at the end. It blinked red a couple of times, before turning a soft blue.</p><p>Then Dib’s phone rang in his pocket and he almost fell over himself. Dropping the stone on the floor, he picked up the cellphone and answered. When he heard the voice on the other end he wanted to cry like a child.</p><p> </p><p>“Dib?”</p><p> </p><p>The raven-haired boy gagged out a shaky breath and rubbed at one of his eyes to stop the tears.</p><p>“Dib-Thing…? Can you hear me?” Zim asked. The reception was near perfect. Dib would have expected at least some interference; especially since Zim was in <em><b>another fucking plane of existence.</b></em></p><p>He simultaneously wanted to kick himself for not thinking of this sooner, and scream that no amount of paranormal research could have ever helped here. His mind was running away from him; exactly <em>how </em>was Zim calling right now?!</p><p>Was it perhaps due to the alien tech?</p><p>Whatever the fae did to disrupt human technology… did it just not work on irken?</p><p>Would it affect other alien tech??</p><p> </p><p>“<em>DIB! CAN YOU HEAR ZIM</em>?!”</p><p> </p><p>There was frantic shouting from the other end of the phone, and the booming voice from the speaker made the human fumble and drop it. He grabbed it quickly and raised it to his ear,</p><p> </p><p>“Y-YEAH! I-I can hear you…”</p><p> </p><p>There was a sigh of relief coming from the other end.</p><p>“Good. I was beginning to think I had lost you somewhere in this <em>irk-damned </em>mudpit! Where have you run off to?! Did the<em> Dib-Stink</em> get too excited about hunting <em>for fungus </em>in the <em>dirt</em>?!”</p><p>The condescending tone was honestly a huge relief. Dib picked the stone back up and raised it to his eye once more; looking at the alien, who was now stood at attention and seemed to be using another function of his PAK to search the area.</p><p>“I am not picking up your signature on my scanner, <em>Smelly</em>. Exactly <em><b>where </b></em>are you?” He frowned as he grabbed the scanner and gave it a soft whack with the palm of his hand. The human boy snickered softly to himself; knowing full well he would never do that if he knew the human was watching him (Zim would rather stay lost than ever admit there was a possibility of his tech acting up).</p><p>“… I don’t think you’re going to believe me… But actually, <em><b>you’re</b></em> the one who disappeared.” Dib answered.</p><p>The alien stopped what he was doing and glared at the microphone next to his cheek; almost as though it was Dib he was staring down.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Eh</em>?!”</p><p> </p><p>“… Zim, I think the fae might have-”</p><p>“ZIM HAS DONE <em>NO SUCH THING</em>, YOU <em>STUPID </em>HUMAN-WORM!”</p><p> </p><p>The black-haired man rubbed at his forehead and groaned, “Will you just listen to me? I’ll try to explain what I think might have happened here.”</p><p>He heard a quiet grumbling from the other side and watched through the stone as Zim began to tug at the zipper of the tent. For whatever reason, he couldn’t get it to open; Dib wondered if it was even really there or just some sort of illusion. He hummed to himself as he watched the other furiously rip at the opening of their little tarp shelter.</p><p>“Well… I don’t think <em>that’s</em> going to help you.”</p><p>The irken froze and looked around him wildly.</p><p>“Where<em> are</em> you right now?!”</p><p> </p><p>“Like I was saying… I think we’re-”</p><p>“WHERE ARE YOU?!”</p><p> </p><p>“Zim, I was just-”</p><p>“WHERE ARE YOU?!”</p><p> </p><p>“ZIM! SHUT UP AND LISTEN!” He shouted down the phone. The little alien jumped slightly, and glared down the speaker.</p><p> </p><p>Dib sighed, rubbing at his temples. He was lying if he tried to claim he wasn’t about to have just a little bit of fun. It wasn’t actually all that often he got to use his knowledge of the supernatural in a situation that wasn’t immediately life threatening. He also knew Zim had a habit of pretending (very badly) that he was listening whenever Dib tried explaining something about whatever titbit of parascience had his attention at whatever moment. But this time, Zim <em>had </em>to listen. He may as well have a bit of fun with it…</p><p> </p><p>“I think that while we were asleep, the fae took you…” he started, “<em>It does make sense</em>. I’ve told you before, remember? Faeries <em>love</em> to eat people who like <em>sugary snacks</em>~” He peppered in some emphasis and grinned.</p><p>Zim went pale and span on his heels, looking around himself wildly. He pulled out his PAK legs and shot up above the tent. With his back arched slightly and eyes wide and staring at the empty spaces around him, Dib couldn’t help but be reminded of a cat yet again – a cat with four large, black metal legs hunched over a tent and braced with rabid ferocity. He put a hand over his mouth to muffle the snort that came out.</p><p>
  <em>Asshole deserves this. He’d know I’m bullshitting if he listened once in a while.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Oh <em>yeaah</em>… And they just <em>loooove </em>to chow down on bugs too~”</p><p> </p><p>Zim thought he saw something move and a moment later there was laser fire, and a smoking tree stump. He glared at the stump like he was staring down the mightiest and brawniest of warriors. Dib couldn’t help himself. He erupted in laughter.</p><p>“O-OH MY GOD… Z-zim…” He was wheezing.</p><p>Zim looked around shocked, “WHAT ARE YOU<em> LAUGHING</em> AT?! THESE TINY LITTLE <em>KILLING MACHINES</em> COULD BE ON ZIM AT ANY MOMENT! WITH THEIR <em>RAZOR WINGS</em> AND <em><b>ACID-SPITTING</b></em>!”</p><p>The human was crying he was laughing so hard, “I-I never even s-<em>said</em> that! <em>Oh fuck</em>!”</p><p>“WHAT IS SO FUNNY, <em>DIB-STINK</em>?! HELP ZIM! <em>HELP ZIM</em><em><b> NOW</b></em>!!”</p><p>Dib wiped a tear from the corner of his eye, “O-okay… calm down… I was joking about them eating you.” He heard Zim breath a sigh of relief and quickly added, “At least the ones in this part of the world, anyway.” He felt, rather than heard the other growl at him through the phone.</p><p>“… <em>Hey</em>, are we going to talk about the fact that you kinda just admitted that you really <em><b>are</b></em> a bug?”</p><p> </p><p>“NO! No, we are <em>not,</em> you <em>HORRIBLE, </em><em><b>HORRIBLE</b></em><em> HUMAN</em>!”</p><p>The investigator covered his mouth as more laughter threatened to burst forward. He couldn’t help it really – the adrenaline from rushing around looking for Zim only to find he’d never actually <em>left </em>the campsite was still present and needed an outlet. Perhaps it was a shitty thing to do, but he never claimed to be above pettiness.</p><p>“Okay okay… S-sorry-” He wheezed out the last word.</p><p>“No, you’re <em>not</em>.”</p><p>“… <em>You’re right,</em> I’m not sorry. But we really should work on a way to get you out of there. In truth, I don’t really know exactly what kind of creatures to expect. Most of what humans know about the fae comes from folk tales… s-so I’m not <em>exactly</em> sure what is and isn’t true.” He explained quickly, whilst he knew he still had the other’s attention.</p><p>“Great. That’s absolutely<em> perfect</em>! So what <em><b>do</b></em> you know?!” The irken slumped down in front of the tent. He’d all-but rolled around in the dirt at this point, but not a speck of it seemed to be on him, so he figured this world couldn’t be<em> that</em> bad. Allowing himself to slump to the ground, he hoped they’d find a way to get him out of it soon though.</p><p>“Well… I know that fae are notoriously curious and like to trick people. There have been reports of people disappearing in the area, and I think now we can say we found the<em> likeliest cause</em>.” Dib mused, “I’ve read online that fae can haunt an area like any other spirit, and sometimes end up driving people insane or sending them to their deaths...”</p><p> </p><p>He noticed Zim started to go paler and a look of fear creep back into his features.</p><p>“<em>B-but</em> don’t worry about that for now! I don’t think they’re likely to kill you, <em>okay</em>?”</p><p>“What makes you say that? These creatures sound <em>awful</em>… Remind me again why it was<em> these particular </em>beings that your young seem to revere?” The irken plucked a blade of grass and began rolling it between two fingers.</p><p>The human boy sat down next to his friend and placed the stone on the ground in front of him. He focused on the voice coming from his phone, even when he couldn’t see his lost partner, and rested his head on the tarp behind him.</p><p>“I don’t know really… folk tales changed over time. Originally, they were supposed to teach kids life lessons and warnings about the <em>dangers</em> of going out into the woods all alone. I guess now there’s no real need for those stories any more and we don’t want to scare kids so they just got ‘<em>safer</em>’ over time.”</p><p>Zim frowned, “Your people are weird and dumb.”</p><p>The human boy rolled his eyes, but found that in this particular situation he couldn’t disagree with the alien, “Yeah, well… Did irkens not have folk tales or anything?”</p><p>He shrugged, “If we did, they are long forgotten now… There are no forests on Irk and smeets are kept underground until they are adults. Regardless, we’re getting sidetracked… Are you certain Zim really is in the ‘<em>Fairy’s world’</em>? I think if I <em>swapped dimensions</em> I would have noticed, <em>Stinky</em>!”</p><p>“Well, what’s it like? Is nothing <em>out of the ordinary</em>? Nothing<em> unusual </em>about your surroundings?” The paranormal investigator asked, leaning his head on a knee and holding the phone to his other ear.</p><p>Zim looked around himself first, and then took a moment to close his eyes and listen.</p><p>“… No sound.” He said after a moment, “… But I’m sure I heard something earlier…”</p><p>“What was it?”</p><p>“I don’t remember now. There’s also a dense mist everywhere… It’s a little bit suffocating to be perfectly honest.” The alien clicked his tongue against the bridge of his mouth; it gave off a peculiar higher-pitched snap than when a human did it.</p><p>Dib took a moment to think through that information in his head, “… None of that seems useful right now though.”</p><p>He heard a shuffling from the other side and grabbed the stone off the floor to take a look. Zim was stood up again and smoothing out the material of his t-shirt, tugging it until it fell loosely around his hips again.</p><p>“The only thing I can do is walk and look for a way out.”</p><p>“What?” The human asked incredulously, “… That isn’t…”</p><p>He watched as the alien began to walk away in a completely random direction into the forest, and scrambled to his feet ready to follow.</p><p>“<em>ZIM</em>! That isn’t how these kinds of things <em>work</em>!”</p><p>He didn’t exactly have to run to catch up with the short alien, but his long and lanky legs almost fell in on themselves from the sudden action. Meanwhile, Zim walked calmly with his hands clasped behind his back and head straight.</p><p>“How do you know?” He responded coolly.</p><p>The investigator found that he honestly couldn’t answer that. If he had been wrong about Zim’s tech, then he could be wrong about this too. As silly as it seemed, maybe a rational answer just wasn’t going to work here, and Dib needed to forget about everything he thought he knew. The fae were unpredictable. He shushed the voice in his head screaming at him that if there was one thing you never do in a faery-infested forest it was get purposefully lost in the woods…</p><p> </p><p>However, one of them was already lost – and that was seeming like their only possibility.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>-------------</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The walked together for what felt like hours. Every so often, Dib would ask Zim a question about what he could see. Sometimes he’d ask what he could smell or hear or…</p><p>“The exact same as the last time you asked, <em>Stinky</em>. Trees…<em>Just. </em>Trees<em>.</em>”</p><p>“Right, right. But you’ll tell me if that changes, yeah?”</p><p>“I already said I <em>would</em>!” The alien said through gritted teeth.</p><p>The human tried to distract himself and shoved his hands in his pockets to fiddle with something. The hag stone… keys… wallet… knife… compass… map-</p><p>
  <em>Shoot.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>He stopped and glanced back in the direction they had been walking from. Everywhere looked exactly the same; trees and more trees. Just like Zim kept saying. He hadn’t stopped to think about it before now, but the further they walked the denser the trees got. Dib felt his throat tighten as his hand wrapped around the cold metal of the compass. Without a map it was next to useless. The young man vaguely remembered checking the compass just after they began their trek away from the campsite. They had been headed in a South-Easterly direction. When he pulled it out to check once more, his heart sank when he realised they were now walking straight along the line where the hand pointed West. They were truly and hopelessly lost now.</p><p>“<em>Fuck</em>…” He muttered under his breath.</p><p> </p><p>“What was that?” The alien asked, idly kicking at a rock in front of him. He was staring at his bare foot and frowned, “… You know, I figured after all this walking over difficult terrain even<em> I </em>would be a bit tired out.”</p><p>Dib shoved the compass harshly back in his pocket, and rolled his shoulder before tossing the phone over to his other hand. He was beginning to get cramp in both arms now and he wasn’t quite sure how much longer his phone battery would even last. This call was going to cost a buck; even if it was to the ethereal plane.</p><p>“You aren’t tired…?” He followed Zim’s line of sight, “<em>Oh</em>… Yeah, you aren’t wearing shoes or a coat. Aren’t you cold? It’s starting to get kinda late again.”</p><p>Zim shook his head, “No, the temperature is perfect.” He paused for a moment in hesitation, “I’m also not hungry. Not even slightly.”</p><p>The human blinked and looked down at the floor, If he thought about it, he <em>could</em> actually do with a snack right about now. He wanted to kick himself for being so worried about Zim; of course he knew his friend wasn’t actually an idiot (even if he did act it sometimes). The irken had taken these things into consideration too. He knew that by now he <em>should</em> be hungry; he <em>should</em> be getting cold. Dib shook the thoughts from his head, “Yeah, <em>well</em>… Just be thankful <em>you </em>aren’t feeling the burn, Space boy.”</p><p>The continued their pace as the forest got darker, and Dib became increasingly worried they would be spending the night stranded in the woods; and at least for <em>him </em>in this situation, that could mean hypothermia.</p><p>“… Maybe we should try to find a way back to the camp…” He said as he shuffled the phone around and cracked his neck for possibly the fiftieth time.</p><p>“Zim…?” he asked softly when he received no response. Grabbing the stone from his pocket, he held it to his eye and looked around, a little worried he might possibly have lost the little alien again.</p><p>Zim was still in front of him, but his attention seemed to be caught on something.</p><p>“What is it?” He asked into the phone.</p><p>“… I see something through the trees up ahead.” Zim’s voice was oddly quiet as he spoke, like he was uncertain about something.</p><p>“What is it?”</p><p>“… A light.”</p><p> </p><p>Dib frowned and squinted. He tried to see in the low light ahead of them, but came up short.</p><p>“I’m going to see what it is.”</p><p>He watched through the small opening in the stone as the little alien walked forward ahead of him and through a dense patch of trees. For a split second, Dib found that he couldn’t move. It was almost like he had to remind himself to walk forward. After a few more steps he saw it too. The two of them stepped out into a small grove; an opening in the forest’s treeline allowed the full moon to shone down and hit the waters of a pond. Even in the physical plane of existence, Dib had to marvel slightly at the sight; the starry sky peppered the surface of the water in what looked like silver freckles, and the moon glinting off it lit up the entire grove. Dib stared at the still water and wandered to himself if the veil was thinnest here. If that were true, they might stand a chance at finding an opening for Zim to escape. There was definitely something magical about the area. He looked around at the pond; the arching branches that leaned into the water and the mossy bank with rocks that hung over themselves to meet the surface. It was as though everything was being drawn in to that softly rippling surface.</p><p> </p><p>Straining his eyes further, he tried to look across to the other side of the bank; the stone almost forgotten in his palm. Something already seemed unusual about this place. As he was watching the shadows across the way he noticed a slow blurr. One of them moved. Fixing his eyes on that spot and waiting for a rabbit to hop off into the bushes, he waited until it happened again.</p><p> </p><p>A figure stood up across the water. The quiet winds blew against the branches of the trees and lifted them. Pale moonlight struck the earthy ground and lit the man who stood on the other side of the pond. Dib stared at him. He was pale and bare-chest; long auburn hair fell over his muscular shoulders and a gentle smile adorned his features. The raven-haired boy took a step forward, hand going lax around the phone that he held to his ear. He almost dropped it into the water but, shaking the tiredness from his eyes, he found focus once more.</p><p>“You think that man over there might be able to help us?” Dib asked the phone.</p><p> </p><p>“… <em>Man</em>?” Came the puzzled response.</p><p> </p><p>The shallow water of the pond lapped at the rubber of the human’s hiking boots.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, that big guy over there on the other side of the pond…”</p><p> </p><p>“… <em>Um</em>, Dib…?” Zim sounded even more confused now, “All I see is a <em>horse</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>Dib realised his mistake a moment too late: as the black waters of the lake came up to meet him.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>---------------</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Zim jumped when the speaker next to his cheek fizzled and popped. The connection was dead.</p><p>“<em>Dib</em>?!” He screeched into it.</p><p> </p><p>Eyes locked on the monstrosity across from him, he glowered. Whatever had just happened, he knew that creature was to blame. Zim released his PAK legs and rose up high above the wide lake in front of him. It was big. At least three-times the size any Earth-horse he had encountered before; and if he were being honest those things always gave him the creeps even then. <em>Th</em><em>is</em> horse was a deathly black color and dripped whenever it moved; it’s very body seemed to ooze and slip out of itself. If it had eyes, they must have melded in to it’s skin… (if that is what you could call it), since Zim couldn’t see anything beyond it’s inky silt. Matted weeds came together to form it’s ‘mane’ and tail…</p><p>Something about it’s very form screamed that this creature was a danger. The irken reached deep within himself; the irken reached deep within himself and pulled at each and every bit of his training as a mindless killing machine. He hoped that whatever horrific expression his features made would put the same primal fear into his opponent. Leaning back on two of his legs, Zim circled the horse-monster and the two prepared to strike.</p><p>Spidery limbs sent him flying across the water in front of them and the sharp-taloned tips of his two front legs stuck deep into the tarred mass of a body. The creature let out a shrieking wail and rose on to it’s hind legs; rearing and tossing it’s head from side to side as it attempted to throw it’s angry guest off. Digging his metal legs deep within it’s core, Zim arched forward and gripped it’s neck tightly in a headlock. Grabbing his other hand, he twisted and pulled hoping that even if he couldn’t break the thing’s neck, he could at least hope to cling on until he had another opening.</p><p>He wasn’t expecting the tar-like skin to open up and swallow his arms. Screeching, as his limbs were taken within the beast, he tried not to focus on the horrible sticky feeling as it pooled around his elbows, and instead focused on ripping away at it’s innards with his claws. Digging the talons of his feet into it’s shoulders, and the metal daggers of his PAK legs following suite, he tore and bit and scratched at the thing, grinning wildly as he saw bits of the creature slosh and fly from it’s slimy form. He cackled manically as the monster whinnied in pain and thrashed around.</p><p> </p><p>“GIVE ME BACK <em>MY </em><em><b>DIB</b></em>, YOU <em><b>DISGUSTING</b></em> <em>FAIRY-BEAST</em>!”</p><p> </p><p>Pulled back one spider leg, unable to tell if it was coated in the horrible ooze or not due to it’s metallic black paint, he drove it forward directly over the spot where the creature’s heart would be. Of course, he didn’t actually believe the <em>thing</em> had any vital organs, but he was hoping it might hurt the same. Judging by the broken neigh that resounded out across the lake, he was certain he’d struck something. However, a moment later as the body of the creature dove down into the water, he realised he’d maybe hit it a little too well. He was stuck. The slime seeped around every limb and pulled him closer. Zim managed one quick gasp of air before he was pulled beneath the surface. Bracing himself for the burning sensation to prickle his skin, he tensed and locked his jaw to stop himself from screaming.</p><p>It never came.</p><p> </p><p>          It didn’t burn.</p><p> </p><p>                                     Nothing hurt him here.</p><p> </p><p>The sudden knowledge of that refuelled his fight as he began to kick his legs. The body of the creature seemed to turn to liquid when it sunk into the lake, and as he thrashed and clawed at it, pieces broke away and freed him. When he managed to pull one leg away, he focused on an arm; ripping at soft sinew that tore like papermache in his grip. Bubbles escaped his mouth when he almost screamed upon seeing it reform. The ooze clung to his leg again, and this time began seeping it’s way up his thigh.</p><p>It was encasing him in it’s matter.</p><p>Head bobbing up to the surface, he gasped for another gulp of air and continued to try and kick the monster from him. The more he fought to stay at the surface of the water, the quicker the slime wrapped its way around his body. Arms were strapped to his sides and he strained to keep his mouth above the waves as vine-like appendages wrapped around him again and again.</p><p>His PAK legs were held taut, but were probably his only real advantage. Every time the creature ate them, he was able to rely on brute force to tear through it once more. The metal limbs sliced the equine open like rotten meat. Skewering bits of it’s contorted form on each leg, Zim found himself holding the creature apart like some deranged chef; burned, black and dripping kebabs on either side. But it was working. Each time he tore it open, the horse-monster took longer to regenerate. Each time he won; it’s hold over the rest of his body got weaker, until he finally managed to slip a hand free. He wasted no time in grabbing it’s twisted head and pushing it down into the depths of the water so he could reach the surface of the lake once more; taking a deep, aching breath of fresh air. The world that wouldn’t allow him to tire blessed him in this fight. His training kicked in to help, as muscle memory partially took over; no matter what an irken goes down fighting tooth and nail until one party screams their last breath.</p><p>Zim felt giddy from the victory.</p><p>It was a win.</p><p> </p><p>A win he desperately needed after the past six months… no, <em><b>years</b></em><em>. </em>Years stranded on an alien planet that hated his very nature. Weak and alone and lost.</p><p>It was a win he was so very grateful to receive.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A shot of pain echoed along his spine, and suddenly his PAK legs retreated. A warning message shot into his vision in the space of his life-clock, and suddenly that victory felt very, <em>very</em> far away.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                                                       The use of PAK legs for any longer will cause lasting damage to the host body.</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                                                                         Current limit: 100 Smleeps. Or 10 Earth minutes.</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He gagged on the water in his mouth and spit it out. The inky substance running on the surface made it’s way into his eyes and he shook his head wildly to try and throw it off. Sending signals to his PAK to override the message, he was horrified to find it unresponsive. Further error messages played within his mind, as a thick, slimy body contorted itself around him. Zim felt himself be rolled over; head momentarily entering the water again before he was abruptly pulled back above the surface as the monster had him in some sort of <em>death-roll. </em>The black body of a large python slicked over him and squeezed tightly. He felt a couple of ribs break. Just as he was about to pass out from the pain shooting through him as it twisted tighter, he heard a voice come from his PAK.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Bzzz—zZiimm</em>?”</p><p> </p><p>Head above the water once more, as the creature focused on rebuilding itself now that it had it’s prey secured, he sent another signal to his PAK. This time, a thin wire with the microphone end appeared and he heard Dib’s voice more clearly. The human was coughing and hacking as he spoke in to his phone.</p><p> </p><p>“Z-zim?-<em><b>ack</b></em><em>,</em><em><b> hahh</b></em><em>- a-are you… </em><em><b>ACK</b></em><em>! Are you… o-okay?”</em></p><p> </p><p>Despite the fevered coughing and wheezing, Dib sounded desperate; like he’d been trying to get through a few times already and was frantic for a response.</p><p> </p><p>He wheezed, “<em>D-dib</em>…”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>ZIM</em>! A-are you there?!<em>...</em><em><b>haah</b></em><em>...</em><em>Are you okay</em>?!”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>N-never better.</em>” He choked. With a sudden horror, he realised that every time he spoke the creature tightened it’s grip.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Sit tight</em>… I-I’ll figure a way to g-get you out of there!” Came the too-quick response.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Zim’s head was starting to go light as his vision blurred. It was getting harder to breath.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“<em>Y-you’d</em>…<em> b-better, … Stinky</em>.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> The thing coiled around his neck. </em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>His jaw ached but no matter how much he tried he couldn’t get any more air in.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>                                                    Hurry up.</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>His vision faded.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Just as everything went dark, he could breath again. The grip on his throat released and he took in a large gulp of air. Vision clearing once more, Zim looked around him and found was was laying face up in the water and staring at the night sky filled with millions upon millions of stars. It reminded him of the previous night with Dib, sat by the campfire.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Zim</em>!”</p><p> </p><p>Turning his head and wading with one arm, he was pleasantly surprised by the sharp sting on his skin as the water moved around him. It wasn’t too painful; thankfully the water here was still relatively pure. But, he never thought he would be<em> happy</em> to feel that tell-tale sign that he was definitely on Earth. He saw Dib stood at the bank and quickly made his way over. His hand moved to his neck and grimaced when he felt the tender skin. Looking down, he quickly surmised he was covered in bruises. His t-shirt had ripped, and his bare midriff had a thick, purple line right through it. Everything ached and when he finally made it to bank of the lake and crawled on to the land, he collapsed and sprawled out in front of the human.</p><p>“<em>Hey.</em>” The alien managed to wheeze out.</p><p> </p><p>Dib’s eyes were wide as saucers and his hands were clamped over his mouth.</p><p>“<em><b>Fucking Shit</b></em><em>, Zim</em>! What exactly <em>happened</em> over there?!”</p><p> </p><p>The irken groaned at the thought of having to speak more. (<em>Ironic, really.</em>)</p><p>“… <em>Ugh</em>… Fairy-Monster<em>… Sticky ooze… </em><em><b>Squeezing</b></em><em>…</em>”</p><p>That was all he managed to get out before his throat ceased up on him, and it was immediately followed by a series of dry coughs and hacking, and he rolled over and spat up a mouthful of river weeds and other plant matter.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Aww</em>! Don’t be mad… The horsey was just giving you a <em>big ol’ hug</em>, Master!”</p><p>Zim opened his eyes to find his robot minion stood over him and stroking his head. He held out a bottle of soda and wore a huge grin on his face like he’d just had the best day ever. The alien wanted to be mad at the little idiot for not coming to help him sooner, but he just found that he didn’t have it in him in that moment. Taking the soda gratefully, he drank it all in a few seconds and wiped his mouth with the back of a very slowly-healing hand. His wrist cried against such flippant use, but he ignored it in favor of reaching for another drink from his SIR.</p><p>Dib looked on in complete confusion, “… I don’t really know what just happened. One minute, I was underwater and <em>drowning</em>… then it was like whatever was holding me was just <em>ripped away.</em>” He gave an awkward shrug and rubbed at the back of his neck. “I started trying to come up with a solution… Then Gir just sorta <em>toppled in to my lap </em>and suddenly you were just floating out there in the middle of the lake.”</p><p>The alien looked from the human to the robot and an antennae tiredly plopped forward; still too wet and heavy to move normally. Dib picked up on the meaning, along with the sceptical look on the other’s face.</p><p>“<em>Honestly</em>, it’s the truth. I just don’t know <em>what</em> happened! I had no idea we’d run in to a fricking <em>Kelpie</em> on the Canadian border<em>, of all places!</em>”</p><p>Zim’s attention turned to the robot, who was now jumping from one leg to another in barely contained excitement.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Gir</em>?”</p><p> </p><p>The robot giggled happily, “My new friends helped!”</p><p>“Friends?” The irken and human asked in unison. The robot pointed up at the sky and the thousands of stars that seeped through the treeline. Their eyes widened when they both realised the stars were getting closer. Soon the forest opening was lit up with wisp-like flames as they danced from tree to tree, and the woods were encompassed in a childlike laughter.</p><p>Dib stared at the scene before him, “… <em>Holy. Shit</em>.”</p><p>Lights flickered around them like a million fireflies; but glowing with a certain air of magic. The paranormal investigator wanted to slap himself when he realised he’d left his camera back at their campsite. He might have actually flung himself back in the stupid lake had it not suddenly vanished. It wasn’t like he watched it disappear.</p><p>It was like it was there one minute and gone the next. He turned around and gasped. Eyes snapping back to meet Zim’s as they both just stared at each other in a total loss at what was happening. They were back at the campsite. The fire was lit once more, and everything was just as they had left it. Gir sat way too close to the open flame and rocked himself back and forth.</p><p>“They said they were <em>sowwy </em>for stealing you away… <em>It was just a game</em>! I tolds them it’s okay becauuuse Master and Mary <em>loooove</em> games!” He leaned forward, like he was telling them the greatest campfire story anyone had ever heard.</p><p> </p><p>The human boy and the alien couldn’t do anything but stare at the robot as he then began to explain how the mother possum had taught him to never take candy from a bear. Dib stared up at the sky and sighed disheartened when he realised that the hovering lights were gone, leaving no trace behind. After everything that had just happened, they still had no proof.</p><p>Zim watched him whilst he gave half-hearted <em>yeah</em>s and <em>huh</em>s to Gir’s story, and placed a hand on the human’s arm. Without looking up, Dib closed his eyes and nodded; putting his own hand over the alien’s. With a soft sigh he let it all go, and decided to focus on enjoying the rest of their camping trip – even if it was <em>very</em> likely Zim would <em>never ever</em> want to speak about this whole ordeal <em>ever </em>again.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Faeries be vibin with Gir's chaos energy </p><p>Don't forget to leave your answers in the comments!</p><p>1. smut: y / n ?</p><p>2. code name suggestions!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. The Notebook: Like the Movie, but not that</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Some questions get answered.</p><p>Zim has had his brain thoroughly washed in this chapter, and the boys argue about it</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>tw:<br/>- canon-typical bullying mention<br/>- more indoctrination type stuff<br/>- (fictional) racism</p><p>Edit: reworded some of zim's explanations about smeets and training so it flows and explains things a bit better</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Deep below the city surface, in an alien base within the hollowed out rock and dirt, sat a tiny bug. The computer screen before him depicted a mechanical diagram the likes of which many other lifeforms would never even begin to understand; not even his own. And he was not happy.</p><p>“USELESS DOOKIE! I CAN’T BELIEVE IT!”</p><p>The A.I sighed, “I don’t know what you expected, Master… You and the human boy cobbled this PAK together from scrap left over from your old schemes, spare parts from what was already a scrap-heap of a ship, and mindless determination.” The voice dimmed with sarcasm, “I honestly don’t understand how you didn’t realise this when you first began it’s construction.”</p><p>The irken bristled, “I-<em>uh</em>… OF COURSE ZIM KNEW!”</p><p>“Oh really…?”</p><p>“YES!”</p><p>“You realised your new SCRAP-PAK isn’t the same as your old one? A machine perfected by irken scientists, using only the best the Empire has to offer?”</p><p>“YES!”</p><p>“A process by which any component with even the mildest problem identified is immediately thrown away, should it invalidate even one single drone? You realised your new PAK is <em>not </em>that?”</p><p>“YES, YES! Of course I realise this new PAK is not exactly up to standard, Computer…”</p><p>The A.I sighed, “<em>Up to standard? I believe you’re </em><em>violating</em><em> at least eight different GSF laws alone. But when have you ever adhered to safety </em><em>protocol</em>?” It muttered.</p><p>“What was that?!” The alien growled.</p><p>“Nothing, nothing… Just wondering if you had all of this in mind when you chose to get into <em>a life or death</em> battle with an earth monster?”</p><p>“O-OF COURSE ZIM KNEW! I DID IT TO PROTECT THE DIB!”</p><p>“Oh did you know? You<em> flung </em>yourself into a dangerous situation, fully knowing it would most likely kill you to save your new <em>fweeeend</em>?”</p><p>“I-I… N-NO! DO NOT BE STUPID, COMPUTER! Now, just give me the details of this diagnostic!” He demanded. Zim had had enough of the computer’s teasing; and admittedly he was worried about what this current exam would show him.</p><p> </p><p>The screen filled up with irken lettering and rows of numbers ran along the screen. He scanned along the lines and frowned; the information getting worse the longer he read. Paling, the irken warrior realised that he might have overlooked some things when designing the new PAK. No matter how much he tried to hide it; tried to bury the thoughts deep away in the back of his mind, there was no denying that the past few months he had been more focused on simply <em>not dying.</em> The PAK did what it was supposed to; it kept him alive – and it would continue to do so. But it was not an irken PAK. It was a machine slammed together and singed with fear and desperation. Throat dry, he clutched at his thin arm and sighed: it was another weakness now.</p><p>This new PAK wasn’t designed for battle. It wouldn’t keep him fighting long after he should have passed out. It wouldn’t inject his body with adrenaline so he could continue to work past the odds. It wasn’t built to use weaponry or to propel him across buildings and over high places. It wasn’t built to handle his spider legs or lasers.</p><p>“… I want to create a new program. If I ever need to fight for a time exceeding a measly ten minutes ever again, then I must be able to override it shutting down. If I had just been able to keep going then I would have-”</p><p>“Master, I do not believe that is possible.” The computer interrupted.</p><p>“WHAT?!” Zim stared into the screen, “T-then… make up a training regime! If the PAK is unable to meet this requirement then it must be my biological body! I’ll admit, I haven’t been training as much as I should have to regain my old prowess!” He chuckled to himself, hand on hip and mimicking his old confidence; but there was a definite hint of uncertainty underneath the facade and no matter how hard he tried, wilful ignorance was now beyond his reach.</p><p>“That’s not it either… You are still recovering, but pushing yourself further will not help. Irken bodies are not designed for life without full access to what the PAK provides. You have been slowly starved of it and we do not have a sustainable source for anything that you are asking.”</p><p>Zim stared at the screen, mind threatening to go blank the longer he looked.</p><p> </p><p>“It will keep you alive. It will keep you moving. It will protect you, but you need to be smart now, Master. You can’t be reckless this time. Your body and your new PAK can only handle so much.” There was a pause, as though the computer was questioning it’s own words, “Please be careful from now on.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>-------------------</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It was early afternoon; Dib and Zim were lounging on the human’s couch in his apartment. A sickly yellow sun shone in through the window and the television played some mindless cartoons in the background, which Gir had gotten bored of hours ago and run off to find some equally-mindless activity. The raven-haired boy sat with his laptop open on his knee; lazily pressing one key or another at irregular intervals as something else entirely clearly held his interest. Zim was beginning to get frustrated. This had been going on for too long now. Almost a whole hour.</p><p>“Okay, <em>what</em>?!”</p><p> </p><p>Dib jumped slightly at the outburst, “Huh?”</p><p>“You’ve been staring at me and zoning out for far too long. <b>What. Is. It</b>?”</p><p>A sneaky blush crept over the human boy’s face.</p><p>“O-oh… Sorry.” He gulped a little nervously. That was embarrassing; was it normal to stare at your friend for that long?</p><p><em>Well</em>… if said friend was an alien, that made it a little bit different, right?</p><p>Yeah. It was perfectly normal to be interested. In fact, he’d <em>always</em> spent time studying the irken. This definitely wasn’t anything different!</p><p>“I was just um… T-thinking about… um… <em>irken anatomy</em>?” He winced; it came out kind of lamely, but he quickly built on the excuse when he noticed Zim seemed even more bewildered by his answer, “I-I mean… We’ve been hanging out for a while now, but with all the work on your new PAK and looking for the paranormal and stuff… I guess it kinda slipped my mind for a while that I have a <em><b>million</b></em> questions you would never <em>ever</em> answer when I was a kid!”</p><p>The investigator thumbed at the fraying fabric on the side of his armchair. They were lounging around in his apartment again; Zim splayed out across the couch like one of those ancient greeks being fed grapes. The movie they had been watching was playing in the background, long forgotten by both.</p><p>Dib wondered if he still had all his old notes from school. He’d continued to make a few notes now and then on Zim and the irken race, but the old ones were probably more than a little outdated. It could be fun to dig them out again. He wondered if the other would find that amusing or if he’d even be up for answering any ques-</p><p>“<em>Shoot</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>His train of thought came to a clattering halt, as he stared back at his present guinea-irken; whom now appeared to be confused by lack of immediate questioning.</p><p>“Is that not what the humans say when they are offering to answer questions for someone?”</p><p>Dib felt his jaw drop but he quickly nodded, “N-no… You got it right… I’m just a bit surprised. Usually you’re kinda cagey about this stuff.”</p><p>
  <em>Usually, he’d had to trick Zim into telling him anything. This was a rare opportunity.</em>
</p><p>He jumped up and started rifling through papers on his desk, not caring if this made him look like an obsessed lunatic any more – he <em>was </em>obsessed with aliens, to be far, and Zim already knew that. The little bug watched him curiously and one antennae raised when he saw Dib pull out an old, old and smelly book. It was decaying slightly at the edges from all the things that must have been spilled on it over the years; the pages seemed wrinkled and torn. He visibly winced at the sight of it and Dib grinned.</p><p>“I had an idea. This is my notebook from way back in school! <em>Not high school</em>… but from when we first met!” He held it out triumphantly and Zim inched back into the couch, pointing an accusing finger at the boy.</p><p>“You keep that <em><b>disgusting</b></em> thing away from me! I can practically <em><b>taste</b></em> the germs from that mouldy paper!” He made an exaggerated barfing gesture and glared back at Dib, “Why do you even still have that thing?!”</p><p>The other grinned back at him, “Sentimentality, maybe?”</p><p>“Humans are ridiculous.”</p><p>“Don’t start, <em>Smartass</em>. I saw your uniform pressed and hung away last time I visited yours.”He stuck his tongue out and saw Zim visibly stiffen.</p><p>“That is a different matter entirely.” The ex-invader folded his arms and looked away.</p><p>“Yeah, whatever… I thought we could go through my old notes. You can laugh at how stupid I was and all the stuff I probably got wrong about irkens… and I get to update them!” He plopped down on the floor, in front of the couch and just far enough away so Zim would be able to see the pages, but didn’t have to be too close to the offending material.</p><p>The other seemed a little more interested, “You are still stupid <em>now</em>. But I see your point… That could be amusing.”</p><p>The investigator began flipping through the pages.</p><p>“Okay, lets see… Ha, here’s a good one. I used to think your PAK was like a <em>Tardis</em>.”</p><p>“What on Irk is a <em>Tardy</em>, Smelly?”</p><p>“It’s like… <em>Uhh</em>… Basically, I thought it was some strange pocket dimension thingy because you could fit so many things inside it!”</p><p>Zim rolled his eyes, “I <em>could</em> create a pocket dimension in my PAK if I wished, you know.”</p><p>The human only snickered slightly, flipping on to the next few pages, “<em>Hmm</em>… This one is from the big water balloon fight we had back in elementary. I guess I never really figured out why exactly Earth water hurts you so much.”</p><p>“It’s like acid. How do humans live with such filth?!”</p><p>Dib shook his head, “I find it hard to believe none of the planets you’ve ever visited had water!”</p><p>The alien shoved him in the shoulder, a soft blush creeping on to his face, “Of course Earth isn’t the only planet that has water, Smelly! Zim had just… n-never come across one with rain before! I’ve found out since that many planets in the Omaeda system get an awful lot of rain!”</p><p>“Oh? So how come your people haven’t come up with a defence for it then? If you know you’re burned by water, then why’d you-”</p><p>“<em>Idiot</em>, Zim is not burned by the water. It is the pollution your crummy planet pumps in to it’s water that Zim cannot handle!”</p><p>Dib stared at him, “Huh, that… actually that makes a lot of sense, I guess. But isn’t there pollution on other planets too?”</p><p>“Nothing like the standard of it here. Most other planets are smart enough to not destroy themselves. I still do not understand why humans have yet to find alternative sources of power.”</p><p>“Actually we have. They just don’t get used as much because the old ways make more money…” Dib held up a hand as an incredulous-looking alien was about to interrupt, “I know, it’s stupid. Everyone knows it’s stupid.</p><p>Zim clamped his mouth shut and continued to stare at the other, who was now once more flipping through his dirty, old notebook.</p><p>“Let’s see… Oh, this is <em>good</em>!” He snorted slightly. His younger self had certainly believed he was more ‘open-minded’ than the blind cretins of their city, but he’d been very short-sighted on so many things. Scanning over the contents, he found an entire ten pages purely dedicated to trying to fit the irken in to one of the conspiracy alien categories.</p><p>“I remember this! I was so convinced you were some sort of weird hybrid between a g<em>rey </em><em>alien</em> and a r<em>eptilian</em>. The first time I hit you it threw me for a loop for like a whole two months when I realised you weren’t scaley!”</p><p>Zim narrowed his eyes and pouted slightly, “I find that highly offensive, Dib-Stink!”</p><p>The human only shot him a shit-eating grin of the highest quality, “All the shade you throw at we <em>pitiful humans </em>and you’re offended because a tween thought you were a lizard?!” He laughed.</p><p>The pout increased in it’s sourness, and he forcibly quelled his laughter.</p><p>“Okay, honestly… Part of what convinced me of that was your tongue. Reptiles have really long tongues, okay? So do irkens.”</p><p>At that the alien boy tilted his head in confusion and stuck his tongue out as far as it would go, letting it hang out of his mouth. It reached the hem of his t-shirt; Dib’s blush was not helped by the fact that the alien was wearing a low-cut top that day to top it off. Not even sure why exactly his face was suddenly heating up he looked away. Zim beamed and let out a loud laugh, as though he’d just won a simple staring contest.</p><p>“You are so easily impressed by something so trivial. Zim’s tongue is actually quite short. They grow with the irken and usually get much longer than mine.”</p><p>The look on the human’s face sparked another fit of laughter. He coughed awkwardly, deciding it was time to change the conversation again.</p><p>“Anyway, I know you aren’t a reptile <em>now</em>! Can’t believe it took me so long to figure out you were a bug… You have <em>antennae </em>for fuck sake!”</p><p>Zim’s gaze flickered upwards and he bounced his <em>lekku </em>in response.</p><p>“In fact, the more I learn about your society the more <em>bug-like </em>you seem!”</p><p>The irken’s eyes slowly narrowed again, unsure what to take that statement as, “What <em><b>exactly</b></em> do you mean…?”</p><p>“Well… You seem to work in a sort of Hive, right? Like you’ve mentioned ‘drones’ before. A-and the Tallest are at the centre of it all like-”</p><p>“<em>Careful </em>what you say next, <em>Dibiot</em>.”</p><p>Dib backtracked a little and held up his hands in a pacifying manor, “L-like <em>royalty</em>! I was going to say royalty!” <em>Queen Bee</em><em>s</em><em>, specifically.</em></p><p>Zim nodded, apparently content with that answer and looked over the human’s shoulder at the book. Apparently, the opportunity to boast about his leaders had gotten him even more invested in the whole idea.</p><p>That was until he saw some of the doodles a young Dib had added to his notes. Zim splayed out on a table and cut open, being the primary subject. His older, human counterpart coughed and fidgeted nervously.</p><p> </p><p>“… W-wow, I really was a weird kid, huh?”</p><p>The irken only stared at him with a deadpan look, “Understatement of the millennia.”</p><p>Flicking through the pictures there were a few from when they hit high school and Dib had his first proper growth spurt. Obviously, at the time, that came with a lot of bullying for Zim. There were a few doodles that involved poking fun at him; some comparing him to a toddler and some where Dib had drawn him as an actual insect about to get smooshed. Remembering it now, Dib still found himself chuckling slightly at it. The little bug really hadn’t grown all that much more since then. Maybe an extra foot at most. The human laughed. His alien buddy really was a shortass and always would be. <em>Always would be.</em></p><p>Dib stopped laughing and swallowed dryly, suddenly feeling very guilty, “… Sorry. I guess, knowing what I know now… <em>this </em>really isn’t very funny any more.”</p><p>The irken looked up at him, confused, “What are you apologising for? Everyone has always made fun of Zim’s height. It is an unattractive quality and Zim is used to the jokes.”</p><p>The human boy felt his gut twist slightly at that, “… I guess I did make fun of you a lot back then. I was a bit of an asshole. Sorry again.”</p><p>“Your jokes were nothing, Stink. On <em>Irk</em>, the older smeets would sometimes rest on me and call me <em>Table-Drone.</em> Then in the Academy, the other cadets would often cut the legs on my chair so it got smaller and smaller as the years went on. Eventually, Zim would sit on the floor.”</p><p>The other boy chewed his lip and looked at his sad irken friend, “You were bullied on Irk?”</p><p>The other only shrugged in response.</p><p>“… I get that the <em>Tallest </em>rule your people. But you always say the Empire is the ultimate form of efficiency and that everyone has the opportunity to become an elite. So if that’s so, then why do they bully the shorter irkens?”</p><p>Zim stared at him as though he was completely insane, “I do not understand that question.”</p><p>“Well… Just because the taller irkens run the show, doesn’t mean that the shorter of you don’t have a place there. At least it <em>shouldn’t.</em> In fact, if the majority of drones are short, then you guys are the backbone of the entire thing, <em>right</em>?”</p><p>“Dib… The taller an irken is the more <em>superior </em>they are! That obviously means that the short irkens are inferior in comparison. Whatever an elite or a taller needs to make their time easier, it is given. If that includes letting out some frustration or rage on a smaller, then that is entirely understandable.”</p><p>The investigator frowned and gave his friend a dark look, “Do short elites get bullied like that?”</p><p>“Of course not!” Zim balked, looking offended, “They are the <em>elite</em>! The best of the best!”</p><p><em>Dib decided not to mention that Zim had always referred to </em>himself <em>as an Elite. That epiphany could come at another time.</em></p><p>He sighed and rested his forehead on the palm of one hand, before muttering to himself, “<em>Fuck sake, </em><em>It’s almost like you were made to be a punching bag for the them…</em> <em>Forget it</em>. I’m clearly just being a <em>stupid human</em> again.”</p><p>“Oh good! You’re actually starting to gain some self awareness!” He could practically hear Zim roll his eyes from the sarcasm.</p><p>Dib decided to change the subject slightly and backtracked a little bit.</p><p>“Smeets are like irken babies, right? So you guys have like… a schooling system too?”</p><p>“Of a sort. We had the underground network. Smeets are put through various battle simulations, and given basic training in the sciences, mathematics and medical procedures.” He thought for a moment, “You know, I’ve always found it strange that human children aren’t taught about things like that… An irken smeet knows how to reattach limbs and stop bleeding…. And they would never eat unidentified berries. How exactly do you monkeys survive past your baby-stage?”</p><p>“Well, we have parents for that. Don’t irkens have parents?”</p><p>“Like your Father? I fail to see how he has kept you from eating strange foods when he is never really around. But I suppose he would at least be qualified to operate if needed.”</p><p>“… Okay, so maybe my dad isn’t the best example.” The investigator tried to hide the subtle tremble that found its way into his lips. Now was not a time for bringing up his own issues; not when he finally had Zim talking about his culture in a way where Dib might actually <em>learn</em> something and not just be subjected to five hours of propaganda.</p><p>“… But to answer your question, no… I do not believe we have these ‘<em>parental units</em>’ that humans do. Smeets are all clones, we all hatch from Smeeteries and then are immediately taken to underground training facilities where we spend the next few rotations…” He thought for a moment, counting in his head, “It is probably around ten of your Earth years… And then we are fully grown and ready to begin training in whatever role we have been assigned.”</p><p>Dib stared at him, dumbfounded, “Wait, so you’re fully grown at age ten?!”</p><p>Zim nodded, “Well, we may grow slightly more over our lives, but the majority of growing is done in smeethood. Anything more is just considered a bonus – like your human ‘<em>spurts</em>’ as you call it! Elites continue to grow in later years, but most drones won't get much taller than that.”</p><p>“… Irkens grow up really quickly then. You were really ten years old when you started working?!”</p><p>Zim nodded, “That is what I have said, yes.”</p><p>Something didn’t sit right with him about this.</p><p>“… and it only takes that long for you to mature mentally? A species as intelligent as irkens really just develops that quickly?”</p><p>“Hah!” Zim let out a patronizing laugh, “A freshly-hatched smeet is easily more mature than an adult human, Dib!” He folded his arms proudly, but Dib felt sick.</p><p>“… And from ten years old you could be trained as a soldier? Ready to go off and fight in god-knows- how many wars…?”</p><p> </p><p>Zim stared at him for a moment, looking slightly confused, “… <em>Ohhh</em>… You misunderstand again, Stink. <em><b>All</b></em> smeets are trained to be soldiers first and foremost. It is only after our primary training that our PAKs are assigned our true roles. Zim was chosen to be a scientist after just a few years of military training and simulations… They realised how much of a <em>genius</em> I am! But <em>all</em> irkens are soldiers..."</p><p>The alien was so lost in his memories; the combat training and drills… the marches of conquered planets once the initial organic sweep had commenced… the smoke… the flames. It all flashed before his eyes, reminding him of the strength and glory of the Empire he was once a part of it. Even now it still filled him with pride and admiration-</p><p> </p><p>“That’s <em>sick</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>Turning to Dib he found the human staring at him with a look he couldn’t quite place. The human was pale with a grey tint to his skin; he looked like he was about to throw up. The irken shuffled backwards slightly, glaring at him as a reminder that his bodily fluids belongs inside his organs and no where else.</p><p>“What is sick? You?”</p><p>The human shook his head, “… What<em> Irk</em>… What the Empire is doing. T-that’s… To their own <em>children</em>?!”</p><p>The little alien could only stare at him in total shock. No other aliens had ever been anything more than amazed and terrified by Irk’s might. It was a perfect system! Flawless and efficient. Couldn’t Dib see that?!</p><p>“… What do you mean by that <em>exactly, </em>Dib-Stink?” He asked in a dangerously cold tone.</p><p>As the human looked at him in complete and total shock. Everything about Zim’s stance as he stood up to meet Dib’s eyes screamed this was a warning. His antennae were flat against his skull, eyes locked in an intense stare, shoulders arched and fists balled. Zim looked ready for a fight; to defend his society to the death… and yet, Dib couldn’t hold it inside any longer.</p><p>“It’s fucked up! It’s<em> wrong</em>! They shouldn’t be treating their own people like this!”</p><p>“Watch what you say, <em>Human</em>.” A pair of claws grabbed at his t-shirt and pulled him forward with surprising strength. Whether it was the fact that Dib was still caught in that intense look like he’d just pissed off one of the most deadly creatures in the known universe (which he had), or the adrenaline rush Zim was feeling as his own mind screamed at him to protect everything he held close; everything he lived and swore by.</p><p>The human saw it then, clearer than anything; Zim still loved the Empire feverishly, no matter how much it killed him to do so. And he snapped.</p><p> </p><p>“Do you think you’d be rewarded for this loyalty even now…? After they’ve mocked and abandoned you, why are you defending them when they<em> hate </em>you so much?!”</p><p>He felt the alien flinch, but the grip on him didn’t ease.</p><p> </p><p>“Zim will <em>always </em>be loyal to The Empire… To my Tallest!” The alien stated simply.</p><p>“They’re not your Tallest any more… They ditched you here, so you don’t <em>have </em>to do what they say any more, you know?”</p><p>The alien glared, “I’m not loyal because I have to be, Dib! It is an <em>honor</em> to serve them and if that means staying on this mud ball for them, then I will!”</p><p> </p><p>“They wanted you to <em>die, </em>dude! They tried to <em><b>KILL </b></em>you!”</p><p> </p><p>“<em><b>LIES! </b></em>My Tallest would never do that to me!”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh my God, it’s like one step forward and ten steps back with you…” Dib muttered darkly, “Why can’t you just <em>see </em>that they are <em>ASSHOLES</em>?!”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>YOU CANNOT SPEAK OF THE TALLEST THAT WAY, HUMAN</em>” Zim squawked at him. His metal legs were out and he was suddenly face to face with the human boy, rage seething out of every inch of him.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>FOR FUCK SAKE, ZIM! </em>NOT ONLY DO THEYINVADE, CONQUERAND<em>ENSLAVE OTHER RACES</em><em><b>,</b></em>BUT THEY DO IT TO THEIR<em> OWN KIND</em>AS WELL<em>! </em><em>THAT’S</em><em> WHAT </em><em>DRONES</em><em> ARE, </em>YOU<em> MORON! </em>YOU ARE ALL JUST<em> MORE SLAVES TO BE PUSHED AROUND! I MEAN WHAT THE </em><em><b>FUCK </b></em>KIND OF PLACE TREATS<em> ‘</em><em><b>TABLE</b></em><em>’ </em>LIKE A<em> JOB?!” </em>Dib finally lost his temper, throwing his arms about wildly in a misguided attempt to illustrate his point. He knew he was right though. He’d seen the way Zim <em>looked</em> at them, <em>spoke </em>about them, <em>worshipped</em> them… like they were some kind of <em>gods</em>.<em> Why </em>couldn’t see see they were just<em> pampered, spoiled </em>and<em> bratty idiots?!</em></p><p> </p><p>“AND THEY PRANCE AROUND THE UNIVERSE DESTROYING SO MANY OTHER PLANETS! SO MANY OTHER LIVES, ZIM! I KNOW YOU’RE AN IDIOT, BUT CAN YOU REALLY NOT SEE WHY THAT IS SO WRONG?! HOW BLIND DID THEY MAKE YOU?!”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>YOU’RE OUT OF LINE, DIB! HOW DARE YOU SAY<b>-</b></em>”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>NO<b>!</b> NO, I’M NOT! THEY</em>ABANDONED<em> YOU<b>! </b>THEY </em>THREW YOU AWAY<em> LIKE…LIKENOTHING<b>! </b></em>AND FOR<em> YEARS </em>THEY TREATED YOU LIKE<em> LESS </em>THAN<em> DOG SHIT! HOW</em>CAN YOU<em> STILL </em>STAND THERE AND<em> DEFEND THEM?! DEFEND WHAT THEY’RE DOING?! THEY’RE </em>MONSTERS!<em>”</em></p><p> </p><p>The little irken was practically radiating pure and unadulterated wrath. He grabbed Dib’s throat, un-gloved claws pricking the delicate skin and bright red blood began to bead down the boy’s neck.</p><p>“<em>BECAUSE THEY ARE MY </em><em>TALLEST, </em><em>STINK-BEAST! </em>ZIM WILL<em> ALWAYS</em> BE<em> LOYAL! </em>WHAT EXACTLYARE YOU NOT UNDERSTANDING?! THE EMPIRE BRINGS MEANING IN TO PEOPLE’S LIVES! IT GIVES US ALL MEANING! YOU STUPID, PRIMITIVE ORGANIC LIFEFORMS KNOW NOTHING OF POWER OR PURPOSE, SO WE GIVE IT TO YOU! A LIFE SERVING THE WILL OF THE EMPIRE IS BETTER THAN ANY PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR EXISTENCE ANY OF US CAN ASK FOR<em>!</em><em>”</em></p><p> </p><p>Dib was fuming, about to pop a blood vessel. He stood up, grabbing Zim’s wrist and yanking the other’s hold off him. Their difference in height now threw the little alien off balance a little and Dib was emboldened. He gave Zim a hard shove and winced at the feeling of daggers scraping across his skin. It stung like salt in a paper cut and only fuelled his anger further. Zim had managed to catch himself on his PAK legs, but was still a little shaky.</p><p>“WHAT ARE <em>YOU</em>NOT UNDERSTANDING<em>?! </em>THEY WANTED YOU <em><b>DEAD</b></em>, ZIM! THEY HATE YOU! AND THEY HAVE DONE NOTHING FOR YOU YOUR ENTIRE FUCKING LIFE! YOU OWE THEM NOTHING<em>!”</em></p><p> </p><p>The human grabbed the alien by the shoulders, digging his nails in hard and pushing him into the wall. Zim felt his PAK smack against the hard surface and gave a sharp whine.</p><p>“AND HERE<em> I AM </em>TRYING TO <em>PICK UP THE PIECES</em> OF WHAT <em>THEY</em> LEFT BEHIND! AND YOU <em>SHOUT AND SCREAM AT ME</em> AS THOUGH <em>I HAVE</em> <em>NO RIGHT</em> TO SAY THIS STUFF?! <em>THEY ALMOST KILLED MY </em>BEST FRIEND<em>, YOU STUPID </em>FUCKING COCKROACH<em>!</em>”</p><p> </p><p>Dib’s grip on the alien’s shoulders increased and he held him tight against the wall.</p><p>“T-they… They’re my” Zim stuttered, before regaining a little more of his composure back, “They’re <em>my TALLEST</em><em><b>, </b></em>you<em> FAT-HEADED MONKEY!” </em>He shouted back, ignoring the slight tremor that crept into his voice.</p><p> </p><p>Dib only snapped further, “WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO MEFOR ONE FUCKING SECOND<em>?!”</em></p><p>Before anything further could make it out of him, Zim found his mouth clamped shut and he stared up with wide eyes at the human male. Unable to formulate any kind of response to that, he finally noticed just how much Dib was still seething in anger; mouth clenched tight and breathing deeply through his nose whilst his eyes remained tightly shut and a crease formed on his forehead.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re just such a<em>moron</em> sometimes...”</p><p> </p><p>The irken felt his knees turn to jelly and almost give way on him; now that the adrenaline rush was gone he was reminded that he was supposed to be recovering. If it wasn’t for Dib holding him in place he might actually have buckled to the floor in an embarrassing heap. Dib realised there was a tickling feeling in his hair and he reached up to bat away at the offending irritation. When he felt it again he instinctively grabbed it.</p><p>Zim froze stiff when the other boy grabbed his antennae. Before he even knew what was going on, the human had a fist wrapped around it and he felt his body go solid. He couldn’t move. Couldn’t think of anything else.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Dib could break him right now.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>It was like the world melted away and all he could focus on was the other boy; the anger and betrayal evident in his features. Dib’s hand twitched involuntarily and he noticed Zim give out a startled <em>chirp</em> as it did. Confusion edged it’s way in to his mind and he looked up to find that he was holding…</p><p>
  <em>Oh, shit.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Recalling what Zim had said about <em>lekku </em>being incredibly delicate, he dropped it quickly when he realised. The bug relaxed immediately; eyes still open wide and breath coming out ragged and deep. Dib took a step back and looked to Zim’s shoulder to see dark purple marks already forming where he’d dug his nails in. Sure, up until recently they’d fought all the time and it had been no real issue. The little irken was sturdy, he never really got hurt – not <em>seriously. </em>But things were different now. The marks left by the kelpie were fading faster than they would on a human body; but he knew that for an irken, this was still taking far too long to heal for either of them to be comfortable with. Barely visible splatterings of purple and blue peaked out from the loose-fitted tank he was wearing. The one around his neck was still dark. Dib felt his stomach lurch again.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh shit… <em>S-sorry</em>… <em>Fuck</em>, Zim are you okay…?” Placing a hand on his head, he wanted to kick himself.</p><p> </p><p>The irken pawed at the wall behind him to steady himself and looked over at the human. He blinked slowly, trying to clear his mind and think through what just happened. There was something evident in the human’s tone that made his blood boil; a tidal wave of rage rising to crash over him. The moment he realised that was <em>pity </em>in the other’s voice it almost knocked him off his feet. He turned on the boy; eyes boring with anger, shame and utter horror at himself for such a weak reaction.</p><p>“…What did you think you were doing?” He hissed, starting off coolly, but with the feeling of a bomb ticking away in his insides.</p><p>Dib placed his hands over his mouth and took a deep breath in, “It was an accident, I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to touch your-”</p><p>“I TOLD YOU NOT TO DO THAT, <em>DIB-BEAST</em>!”</p><p>The human winced from the tone; the hurt in his friend’s voice splitting his ears.</p><p>“YOU COULD HAVE SERIOUSLY HURT ZIM AND YOU KNEW THAT!” The alien rounded on him, finger out accusingly, “BETRAYAL!”</p><p>The human was overcome with guilt, but Zim constantly shouting and screaming was beginning to twist the emotion entirely. He suddenly found himself very angry again. After everything he had done for the stupid bug, did Zim really think that little of him?</p><p>“FUCK YOU, ZIM!”</p><p>The human bawled his hand into a fist but, shuddering and trembling, kept his stiff to his side. Neither wanted to turn this into a physical altercation right now; they both knew that wouldn’t end well. But emotions were high and minds were empty: so they both continued to shout and scream.</p><p>“ZIM SHOULD FEED YOU TO THE SLAUGHTERING RAT PEOPLE, YOU <em>HORRIBLE</em> HUMAN!” the irken screeched.</p><p> </p><p>“YOU’RE SUCH AN <em>ASS</em>!"</p><p> </p><p>“TOUCHING MY AMAZING LEKKU WITH YOUR DISGUSTINGLY BIG HANDS! YOU COULD HAVE CRUSHED THEM!” Balance and composure regained from the sheer humiliation broiling inside of him; he raised his arms in exasperation like he was about to scream at the human for being so careless. He felt betrayed. He felt ridiculous. He knew Dib wanted to learn more about his people, his race… but surely he wouldn’t still <em>hurt </em>Zim to gain that?</p><p> </p><p>“OH GET LOST, YOU OVERGROWN DUNG-BEETLE!” Dib was just as upset. He felt angry with himself for being so stupid. He felt guilty for almost harming his friend. He felt mad at the both of them.</p><p> </p><p>“I CAN’T BELIEVE I EVER LET YOU HANG AROUND ZIM LIKE A LOST AND HUNGRY PIG-DOG! ZIM IS ASHAMED I ALLOWED MYSELF TO PUT UP WITH SUCH A LOWER LIFE FORM FOR SO LONG NOW!”</p><p> </p><p>“YEAH? GUESS YOU REALLY MUST HAVE BEEN DESPERATE,<em> HUH</em>?!” The human shot back at him.</p><p> </p><p>“I GUESS ZIM WAS!”</p><p> </p><p>“FUCKING LEAVE THEN!”</p><p> </p><p>With that the door to his apartment soon slammed shut, as Zim grabbed a confused and scared-looking Gir and Minimoose, and stormed out of the apartment complex. Dib sunk in to the cushions of his couch and laid his head back, staring at the ceiling. There were spots of damp that sunk through and it looked pretty gross. But he felt kinda gross as well. Gross and dumb, and kinda tired.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>---------------</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Once Zim got home, he dropped Gir to the floor and watched as the hyper little robot ran and tumbled over to get to his spot on the couch before the irken plopped down next to him. Humiliation was still looming like an angry cloud over him, and there was a pit in his spooch that he couldn’t identify. A sinking feeling like he’d done something wrong; something punishable that he didn’t want to own to up. There was something else as well before he left; before their final little spat, something stood out to him. When Dib had gotten angry at first, Zim had backed down. That was new. That was scary; Zim never backed down before.</p><p>Something made him want to listen to Dib. He felt compelled to understand why the human was upset with him; even now it stung to think about. But Dib had betrayed him. He could have hurt him. Hesitantly, he raised a hand to the lekku the human had held and tentatively ran his palm over it. Unable and unwilling to admit it to himself, he shook the thoughts away and stared at the floor. Impossible. Of course it almost hurt. His mind was probably just in a state of shock.</p><p>It couldn’t be <em>that</em>; from thinking back to the feeling of the human’s hand wrapped around his lekku, the feeling of one of the most delicate parts of his body to just be <em>held. </em>That sounded insane even to him.</p><p> </p><p>It couldn’t be that a small part of him almost thought it felt… <em>nice.</em></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>aw look at that bug pining</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Patching Things Up (Or: The Empire is Terrible)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Trigger Warning:<br/>- Referenced/Implied Self-Harm<br/>- Mentions of depression<br/>- Mention of bullying<br/>- more racism (fictional, ie - irkens thinking badly of others)<br/>- Further brainwashing/indoctrination (I continue to tag this but honestly, this entire fic is pretty much based around the idea that Zim needs to overcome this so it's kinda to be expected. Not sure if I need to keep saying it, but please look after yourselves)</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dark bags hung low under his eyes, and the young man continued to tap away at his computer. The website looked good. It was a dark grey color with a sketched picture of Bigfoot on the top of the page, and big bold text that said ‘PARANORMAL INVESTIGATORS FOR HIRE’ directly at the top with his contact information beneath it. He had hoped to add in some stuff from their first two cases, however without any evidence of their experience with the fae; the fight with the kelpie; no photographs of the floating lights, he’d found nothing to include. They had footage from their first case still, but since that one involved an ongoing murder investigation, and the company their shady ex-client had worked for calling him with a <em>not-so-subtle </em>threat of legal action if he even so much as hints at their involvement… well, there wasn’t really anything he could do with that evidence either. A few shaky shots of the equipment being swung around, and obviously he’d had to delete anything that showed Zim without his disguise... For what they had, he thought he’d done quite well.</p><p>He sent the link in a quick message over to Gaz to ask what she thought, and moments later was met with a phone call. Answering, he felt his face turn a light tone of red.</p><p> </p><p>“This looks terrible.”</p><p>“WHAT?! It does <em>NOT</em>!” The indignation was hard to hide in his voice. Of course, he knew Gaz would hold no punches, but he forgot just how blunt his sister could be at times.</p><p>“Excuse me, whose the one with training in <em>actual </em>marketing?!” The girl shot back at him.</p><p>“Yeah, for <em>games</em>! This is a <em>serious</em> business website, Gaz!”</p><p>There was a snort from the other end of the phone, and Dib felt his face heat up even though he couldn’t see her expression – he could damn well picture it though, as she looked down her nose at the atrocity he’d spent the better half of the day putting together.</p><p>“How serious can it be if you used the <em>chiller</em> font? I’m going to screenshot this before you change <em>anything</em>, this is absolutely the funniest fucking thing I have seen all day.” He could hear her cackling slightly as she spoke, probably covering her mouth as she did – maybe she was at the campus library or using the studio.</p><p>“Y-yeah well… this is harder than it looked, <em>okay</em>?” It didn’t really matter what he said now, he knew she had him and she was right. “There isn’t a lot of evidence I could use from our previous couple cases, and it isn’t exactly like I can get Zim to help me with this!” The older boy regretted letting that part slip out as soon as he said it and winced.</p><p>“Huh? How come? Sure he’d be <em>greeeaaat </em>at this. All flashing neon colors and horrible gif-sets of movie monsters!” She snickered, “Seriously though, how come he isn’t helping with this? Seems like something you should be doing together…”</p><p>The investigator groaned, “I might have fucked up there…”</p><p>The girl on the other end sighed like a long-time suffering sister only could, “What did you do?”</p><p>“It was an accident!” The boy shouted back, “I didn’t mean to… But I, <em>uh… </em>I grabbed his antennae. Apparently they’re super delicate and Zim said I could have really hurt him. I said I was sorry but <em>he just</em>…” Trailing off, Dib found he was unable to really figure out exactly why everything happened the way it did.</p><p>“… That really all there is to this?” Gaz responded, sounding like she didn’t really believe him, “I’ve seen him stand immediately after being blown up loads of times. I’m sure he’s fine, he’s just being a baby.”</p><p>“… I may have also told him his society is fucked up and called the Tallest names and junk.”</p><p>She let out another sigh and the call suddenly took a turn from it’s earlier light-hearted banter, “Dib… You realise you’re an idiot, right?”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah I know! But it just slipped out! It wasn’t like I just walked up to him and said it for no reason. We were talking about Irk and the Empire and… <em>Jesus, </em>Gaz, there are literally <em>child</em><em>ren</em> fighting wars out there! Smeets don’t get to <em>grow up</em>like normal! They just immediately start military training…”</p><p>“… I probably should have seen that coming.” She sounded oddly numb to it.</p><p>“<em>Gaz! </em>Be serious! You must see how incredibly <em><b>fucked </b></em>that it?!” He gawked at the phone.</p><p>“<em>Of course I do</em>!” She followed quickly with, “But that doesn’t mean Zim <em>does. </em>His morals and priorities have always been a little <em>skewed, </em>okay? Lets just say that this makes a <em>lot </em>more sense than it should. If that’s how he was raised… it just …it paints a bigger picture, okay?”</p><p>Dib sighed and lowered the phone slightly, “Yeah… I guess I do…”</p><p>“Look, that’s really <em>really messed up. </em>That is like <em>taking the trophy </em>for <em>messed up shit…. </em>But it’s not how <em>he </em>sees it. That might be how me, you and literally <em>everyone else </em>would see it, but that doesn’t mean a thing if that isn’t how <em>Zim</em> sees it and you won’t get anywhere with him if you explode like that. You’re gonna need to be smart about what you say in the future.”</p><p>“I see what you’re saying…” He mumbled in to the speaker, “But how can I <em>not </em>react to something like that? It’s revolting… it’s <em>sick.” </em></p><p>“If you want to keep him as a friend you’ll just have to learn to bite your tongue and not open that big, <em>stupid mouth of yours</em>. It isn’t like he’s the one doing this, okay? For once, Zim is the victim here and if you want to be there for him, you’re gonna have to watch what you say!”</p><p>“I-… <em>yeah, </em>I see your point. You’re right, I’m an idiot and I spoke without thinking first, just like I always do.” The brother groaned in to the phone. Why was it that his little sister still had more social etiquette than he did, even after she’d spent her entire childhood actively trying to get people to just leave her alone?</p><p>He wanted to smack himself across the face so hard he might just forget about the whole argument; but even then he’d probably just get another smack off Zim that would bring it all back anyway.</p><p>“You know you can always call me and talk to me about <em>this… right?” </em>She sounded unsure at the end and he felt a knot in the pit of his stomach. He knew Gaz blamed herself for a lot of what happened to him when they were younger. He also knew that as the older brother he should have been better; should have been stronger for her. He shouldn’t have had to rely on his little sister to be there for him like she was when she was also going through her own problems.</p><p>“Yeah, I know… If I need to vent about it I’ll call you, okay? Don’t worry.”</p><p>After a moment of hesitation she seemed to accept the answer and gave a grunt of acknowledgement, “Good. I’d hate to see your stupid big head blow up from overthinking all this stuff, you know?”</p><p>“I thought we’d grown past this now. My head <em>isn’t</em> big!” The knee-jerk response had her cackling on the other end of the phone again.</p><p>“<em>Oh man</em>, we won’t be past this until it stops being so funny! You will <em>ALWAYS </em>have a big head, Dib!” She laughed.</p><p>The young man grumbled and threw himself back on the chair. He looked to the computer screen again and found himself realising that he did agree with his sister. It looked terrible. He’d never hire them in a million years and he was pretty sure even Zim would have questioned the validity of this thing. They looked like amateurs.</p><p>“So… You got any tips for me? How can I make this look any better?” The boy asked and nervously chewed on his lip as he studied the web page.</p><p>He heard a thoughtful hum come from the other end, followed by the flipping of some books being closed and a laptop being dragged across a table as the student tapped at it for a moment. She was clearly thinking something through before she responded to him, and he hoped whatever it was wouldn’t just be a nice way of saying ‘give up’.</p><p>“Leave it with me.” She said eventually.</p><p>“W-what…?”</p><p>“I said leave it with me. I’ll make your website for you and you can be certain it’ll look a <em>hell of a lot </em>better than whatever <em>this </em>is supposed to be.”</p><p>“But Gaz, you have work to be doing! I’d have asked you ages ago but we both know that college should come first!”</p><p>“Save it for someone who <em>doesn’t</em> ace all their classes, Dib.” She responded easily, with the air of confidence he was so used to seeing from her now regarding anything technical, “I can probably throw together something better than this in a couple hours. When you have more material to work with <em>then </em>I’ll show you how to upload it and make it look… <em>decent.</em>”</p><p>“<em>Oh, </em>well… Okay then. Thanks, I guess…” He felt himself awkwardly brush at his hair, despite no one being around to witness it, and forced himself to rest his hand on the desk, “If you’re really sure you can handle the extra work.”</p><p>“You should have just come to me to begin with… Honestly, we both know how terrible you are with stuff like this. <em>I remember your vlogs</em>.”</p><p>He cringed when she brought that up.</p><p>“Okay, <em>ow</em>.”</p><p>“And you should really go make up with Zim already. If you two are going in to business together, you can’t be bickering like this all the time.” Gaz added, and he was about to respond further before he realised she was using her ‘end of discussion’ tone.</p><p>“But Gaz, it’s not like-”</p><p>“Suck it up and <em>apologise</em>.”</p><p>The raven-haired boy slumped forward on his desk and trilled his lips like a horse, “<em>Fiiiine.</em>” He responded, before hanging up and going back to search the forums for new cases.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>------------------</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Dib and Zim didn’t speak for weeks after that argument though. It was like a black hole had opened up in the centre of the city, with each one on either side of it. Dib tried to go back to his life before befriending the little alien, but it was more difficult than he would care to admit. Browsing the <em>Truth Shrieker </em>forums late into the night, he struggled to find new cases to take on. He’d done a few jobs since the incident with the fae, however nothing had ever come from them. The clients had been unhappy with his results, and his payment had barely covered the bills for that month. Dib was <em>certain</em> there really had been a yeti present during that last case, but he just couldn’t prove it. Since Zim had stopped joining him on those cases, he’d only come away with blurred photographs and hurt pride. For whatever reason, whenever the paranormal investigator went out there on his own <em>nothing ever really happened.</em></p><p>What was it about his time with the irken that brought everything out of the woodwork?</p><p> </p><p>Thinking back on it now, he realised the answer was glaringly obvious. Zim was special. He was loud and obnoxious and annoying… but he was an alien. He was something nothing on this planet had ever seen before. Each time the creatures had shown up, Zim had been out of his disguise. Perhaps paranormal investigators weren’t the only beings curious about <em>what</em> the fuck the little guy actually was. It made sense.</p><p>Groaning aloud as he scrolled past the tenth post about another urban cryptid that just looked like someone stuck in a mascot costume, he glanced over to his phone. He wondered if Zim was missing him just as much right now…</p><p>It wasn’t like he’d done it on purpose; any of it. He knew not to touch the alien’s antennae; remembered Zim insisting how delicate and precious they were, and he hadn’t meant to do it! He could only be thankful there wasn’t any lasting damage done; at least no physical damage. But he was damn sure Zim wouldn’t be likely to trust him any time soon. He never should have brought up the Empire; as plain as it was for him to see just how disgusting they were, of course the little brainwashed idiot wasn’t going to! If he could just get him to listen though…</p><p>Dib wasn’t blind. He knew it was unlikely they’d ever see eye to eye on certain things. But maybe there was still hope. He felt a headache coming on, as his hand hovered over the phone lying face down on his desk, and winced from the sudden sting between his eyes. He adjusted his glasses, but knew deep down this wasn’t a migraine caused by staring at the blaring computer screen all night long… at least not entirely.</p><p>He picked up the phone and sent out a quick text.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>12.03 “I’m coming over. Need to talk.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>There was no reply within the half hour he sat nervously tapping away at his keyboard. Migraine getting worse and anxiety deepening, he grabbed the hoodie from the back of his desk chair and threw it up. Grabbing a few painkillers from the cabinet in the kitchen, and tossing the hood over his unruly bedhead, he made up his mind to go over regardless. Just as he was about to leave the apartment his phone buzzed.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>12.41 green idiot: “NO.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Well… It wasn’t like he ever needed permission before, so why start now?</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>-----------------------</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Making his way up the street when he saw the strange home come in to view; the funny-looking purple house that jutted out oddly between two dull, brick buildings. Walking up the path towards the door, he was stunned when he realised the gnomes eyes began to glow. Jumping out of the way just in time, he rolled forward and underneath one of the laser beams as it soared over him. He moved to the edge of the garden, grumbling.</p><p> </p><p>Fuck sake, Zim.</p><p> </p><p>Digging his phone out of his pocket, he hunted around for the little app symbol he hadn’t needed in so long. Opening it and pressing the button he waited for the gnomes to power down.</p><p>They didn’t. Another one turned and shot at him again. Dib fumbled with his phone and stared at the app. It was on. It should have worked. Dashing forward he flung himself out of the way as two others began to fire and soon he was following familiar old footsteps from years ago: running wildly in a circle around Zim’s front yard.</p><p>Once he had a rhythm going and was fairly certain he was able to stay one step ahead of the lawn ornaments, he turned to glare up at the house in front of him.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>COME ON</em>, ZIM! THIS IS RIDICULOUS!”</p><p> </p><p>He felt a harsh burn on on his trousers and turned around to find that one of the lasers had just changed directions and shot him on the ass. Giving a yelp of pain and falling on his side, he rubbed at the steaming mark on his trousers.</p><p> </p><p>“VERY FUNNY! STOP ACTING LIKE WE’RE BACK IN<em> SCHOOL, </em>YA BIG BABY!”</p><p>The gnomes powered down and the door swung open to show an irritated-looking irken in an overly-greased wig and fake purple contacts.</p><p> </p><p>“ZIM IS NO SMEET, DIB-SMELLY!”</p><p>The human boy only rolled his eyes, “Sure are acting like it.”</p><p>The irken hissed, “Go away” then when to slam the door in his face; but just as he was about to, Dib jumped up and shoved his foot in front of it. He grabbed the alien’s arm and held him there for a moment; both of them just looking at each other barely believing Zim was allowing this to continue.</p><p>The little alien was avoiding eye contact; looking anywhere except up at the human in front of him as he strained to stay focused on a crack in the pathway. He didn’t want to admit he’d missed Dib. He shouldn’t have to admit it. It would be ridiculous to suggest such a thing.</p><p>Yet, he found himself allowing the door to be slowly pushed open and stepping back to allow the other access into his base once more. They sat down on his lumpy couch and Zim could only be thankful that Gir and Minimoose were playing <em>hide and shoot </em>downstairs in the lower levels of the base. He kept his hands curled around the hem of his denim shorts and fiddled with the fabric to avoid facing the coming conversation: why did he feel like this? Dib was the one in the wrong!</p><p>Of course… deep down… he knew the human boy had not intention of hurting him ever again.</p><p> </p><p>But still. Zim could not allow himself to be dictated by these awful <em>feeeeelings…. </em></p><p>“So you have come to grovel for your forgiveness, Dib-Stink<em>?” </em>He looked up with a sour expression on his face, but was still unable to meet the other’s sad honey eyes. He hoped he held enough confidence in his gaze still, but deep down he felt like he would crumble if he slipped up even for a second. He was surprised though.</p><p>“Yes. If that is how you want to put it.” Dib swallowed his pride, “Listen, Zim… I can’t do this on my own! I need you with me on these cases… I need your help, okay? I need you there to draw out the creatures, or to help me track them down!”</p><p>The alien glowered, “So you just want us to be ‘<em>friends’ </em>again so I can help you hunt the ghostlings and other monsters?”</p><p>“N-no! That’s…<em>uhm...</em>” The investigator sighed and fixed his glasses, looking away, “That’s only part of the reason. Honestly, this past year has been hard… but I <em>liked </em>spending time with you, okay?! It made my <em>horrible, shitty little life</em> just slightly more bearable!” He put his face in his hands, “I don’t want to go back to being enemies… and even worse, I don’t want to go back to just… <em>nothing.”</em></p><p>Zim felt a pain in his chest and raised a hand over it. Why did seeing Dib this way hurt so much?</p><p> </p><p>He needed to make it stop.</p><p> </p><p>Quietly, he thought it over. He could forgive Dib for touching his lekku; that had been a mistake. He was angry and confused by it, but it was clear the human hadn’t realised what he was doing in the moment. Putting that out of mind though, he could not forgive what Dib had said about the Tallest and the Empire. His loyalties and pride would not allow it.</p><p>Unless…</p><p> </p><p>“I need you to do something first then.” He straightened up, folding his arms in a brisk pose as he sat far too straight and formal for the lumpiest couch in existence to cope with. His posture actually kind of hurt a little, but he needed to remain composed for this.</p><p> </p><p>The raven-haired boy looked up nervously, having just spilled his heart and soul, “What…?”</p><p> </p><p>“… <em>Take back</em> <em>what you said.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>The paranormal investigator only wanted to roll his eyes in that moment. If this was the game the little idiot wanted to play, then he’d give it to him.</p><p>“Fine, I take back everything I said.” He said in a huff. There was a pause; a moment of hesitation lingered in the air as Zim mulled it over and decided it wasn’t enough to appease him.</p><p> </p><p>“… Say The Empire is <em>MIGHTY</em> and<em> GREAT</em>!.”</p><p> </p><p>Dib felt a sinking feeling inside him opening up. Opening his mouth, the words felt heavy on his tongue. He had no idea how much weight was behind them, but a part of him just felt like this was too much. Still, it wasn’t exactly… untrue. It just felt strange to say it like <em>that</em>.</p><p>“…. The Empire is…. <em>strong</em>… and <em>powerful</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>Zim <em>tsked</em> but couldn’t argue. He supposed that was acceptable.</p><p>“Okay then, tell me the <em>Tallest are superior to all</em>. Zim can be your friend again then, Stink.”</p><p> </p><p>It hit him then like a lead bullet: everything Zim saw in the Empire and what a tight hold over him they had. The thoughts made him feel sick to his core. It was something he knew he could never understand. Zim had lived and breathed for the Empire, and no matter what they put him through… a piece of them would always remain inside of him. It was just how it was. The Tallest could do whatever they wanted; they could beat Zim within an inch of his life and he’d probably congratulate them for it. In the little bug’s eyes they could do no wrong. They were perfect: the ground they floated over to be worshipped in the little idiots mind. Dib felt powerless to change that; he just wished he could grab the alien and shake him until he realised just how blind he was being. The black-haired boy rolled his tongue in his mouth. He felt himself chill as a cold rushed through him and he tried to swallow but found his throat was just too dry.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Uh</em>…<em> I-uhm…” </em>He stuttered, unsure what should say. Chancing a look over at the irken, hoping the meet the other’s eyes he found that Zim had turned his back completely. Antennae were perked and clearly listening intently to whatever he said next. He could not mess this up.</p><p>“…. Do I really need to say <em>that…</em>?” He muttered quietly, unsure if he was really asking Zim or himself. The determined little bug answered for them both anyway.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Yes</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>Zim wasn’t <em>that </em>stupid. They both knew now how Dib felt about Tallest Red and Purple. Deep, deep down he knew exactly how the human really felt about the rest of his race from their last conversation. He knew this entire exercise was derivative, meaningless… and perhaps just a little bit <em>demeaning</em>. However, the louder part of him that praised the Empire, along with anything and everything that came with it, <em>demanded </em>this of him – and it would not be quenched until Dib gave in and said it.</p><p>
  <em>Obedience. Subjugation. Loyalty.</em>
</p><p>That was what the Empire demanded. If other alien lifeforms could not see the magnificence of their Empire, then they had to be squashed or put in their place. This was right. The Tallest would approve of this. They would approve of Zim trying to show Dib the truth of their greatness… <em>right</em>?</p><p>The human forced his eyes shut tight. Even without them here to listen in on anything. They couldn’t possibly know what Zim had to say about them. He was free to bitch as much as he liked. Even now though, he was still just their little loyal lapdog. Just another mindless drone. Well, some of that may be true, but he was still the <em>only</em> friend Dib had ever had; whether or not his race was responsible for the deaths of countless alien life all across the Universe. If Zim still believed in all of that even after everything they had been through, there was probably no changing his mind.</p><p>So he bit back the side of him that wanted to scream how much of an idiot his best friend was. He swallowed the emotional bile rising in his throat, threatening to jump out and start a whole new argument.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>The Tallest are superior.</em>” Said the human in a quiet voice. If that was what Zim needed to hear right now, so be it. The little alien turned around to face him quietly. Both of them didn’t really understand why the air still felt so heavy.</p><p> </p><p>“Good. Well done, Stink.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>-------------</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>When Dib had left, Zim collapsed back in to the couch cushions. He was just grateful the other had decided not to hang about any longer. That was a lot to process and for some reason he felt like Dib might also be feeling a little bit overwhelmed. But that was good. The Empire was overwhelming sometimes. He had done everything correctly, right?</p><p>Dib was a human; a pitiful, repulsive organic life-form. All Zim had done was remind him of that. Lesser life-forms needed to be put in their place now and then; they weren’t lucky enough to have experienced the true might of the Empire first hand like the irkens did from their formative years. Irkens were the perfect combination of enhanced biological forms and perfected machinery; they were fast, agile, intelligent…</p><p>The Tallest were the ultimate form of that. He still didn’t entirely understand how other aliens found that so difficult to grasp. Dib was blissfully ignorant because he had grown up on Earth, and whilst he had helped Zim a lot and the irken was grateful… that would never replace his love for the Empire. But he found himself thinking about everything that had happened in the past year. The human boy had gone out of his way to, not just help save Zim’s life, but make sure he was comfortable and even happy. He’d had <em>fun </em>with Dib. Not even just with him either; he’d had fun when Dib and Gaz had taken him out shopping or introduced him to the ‘alcomahol’ for the first time. He’d felt <em>safe </em>around the <em>Zita</em> and the <em>Keef</em> humans as well for some reason.</p><p>Humans were unpredictable. He knew there were plenty would would want to hurt him; especially if they knew what he really was. On a global level, they were greedy, selfish and nasty. They did horrible things to each other, and to an <em>alien being… </em>he was certain they would do every single one of the things Dib had threatened him with as a child. However, the more time he spent around Dib without them trying to kill each other, the more he noticed those walls were beginning to fade. Those ideas of superiority were hard to hold on to when the ‘lesser life-form’ you spent 80% of your time around was throwing chips at you from across the couch and laughing at your irritation. Dib didn’t treat him like an enemy any more, and more often than not, it was Zim who needed help with mundane things – this was the human’s planet after all, and there were still many things he’d never really bothered to learn. It was pretty clear that the superiority had been dropped by the other a long time ago, left abandoned along with childish ideals about exposing the invader and proving the existence of extra-terrestrial life. Perhaps without really realising it, Zim had left that behind as well…</p><p>The way he had been acting regarding Dib… it was definitely not in line with how an invader- or any irken, elite or otherwise, was supposed to act towards an inferior species. He didn’t feel the utter horror he knew he probably should upon realising that he was treating Dib as an equal. In fact, it made that horrible riling feeling inside him swell up and turn in to something else for a moment. A small smile found its way on to his face.</p><p> </p><p>Before he remembered the sadness and defeated look in Dib’s eyes, and it came right back to punch him in the guts again.</p><p>He had been surprised when Dib had given in and done as he’d asked. There was a small part of him trying to say that the human boy didn’t really mean it – that he’d just said what he said to appease the irken. Zim shoved a small pack of sugar in his mouth to shut that part of him up. It tasted like burned putty and velcro, and he realised with some horror that it must have been one of the ones Gir had stolen from the taco place months ago and kept hidden under the couch ever since.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Blech</em>…<em>” </em></p><p> </p><p>He thought about Dib and how sad the other had seemed. That strange and horrible feeling washed over him again. His antennae perked and he felt for a moment like there mighty be some danger. Anxiety and worry clouded his thoughts.</p><p> </p><p>Dib was fine. He was <em>fine. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>------------------</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Dib was not fine. In fact, Dib wanted to scream very loudly into his pillow. He wanted to throw his big, dumb face on to that suffocating comforter and scream at himself for being such a moron. He couldn’t blame himself when he first met Zim; he was a child then, and that child was high on <em>B</em>-movies and superhero comics. He always thought he could be the hero. Fuck, he still thought that didn’t he?!</p><p>But for Zim… this was just his life. He was raised in a society that sounded like it came right out of a dystopian power fantasy. Nothing Dib did or said ever worked. It wouldn’t change the way Zim was already conditioned to think now. It was too little, too late.</p><p>In high school, things had cooled down somewhat between them. Or maybe, it just felt that way to Dib. He tried thinking back on it. Zim acted pretty much the same; heck, he probably would still be doing the exact same thing now years later, if Red and Purple hadn’t come clean. It was Dib who had changed in high school. Things became too much for him. His dad became more and more insistent he give up on the ghost hunting and paranormal studies; the bullying got worse; Gaz tried to distance herself from him for the majority of it, and that only changed when she realised what he’d been doing to himself. He lost weight; he was tired all the time; he started hurting himself. His family took notice and eventually got him help, and thankfully it worked. Zim hadn’t changed though. He probably didn’t even understand…</p><p>He’d carried on trying to take over the world, and Dib half-heartedly stopped him each and every time. Like a chore. It was one of the only things to get him out of the house during that period of his life, and he felt a small inkling of gratitude to the alien for that. But beyond the strange looks and mild confusion he’d received from Zim whenever he was late to something, or didn’t fight back when the irken swung at him… there was no real understanding there. Even if there had been, Zim probably would have just put it down to ‘ridiculous human weakness’ or something. The human tried not to dwell on those times, if he thought about them for too long he was sometimes transported back there. Fifteen again and facing the ridicule and scorn of his peers and those closest to him.</p><p>Dib might have slowed down, but Zim never had… Not until now. Now that his PAK was fixed, their new plan was to go on hunting cryptids together. Zim had called it their new mission before, and the human found that phrasing uncomfortable. It rubbed him the wrong way. This wasn’t a mission for him, it was his dream. It wasn’t something he HAD to do and he didn’t really want Zim feeling that way either. Still, it might make him feel uncomfortable but things were different for the little alien. Irkens are proud of their assignments and missions; Dib had learned through osmosis that everything seemed very tailored and organized in the Empire. Everything worked like a well-oiled machine, and drones were the happy little cogs that were just there to make things work. Except cogs are replaceable; they become rusted or damaged and can just be thrown away. Maybe the Empire could just throw the drones way too, but what happens when one of them crawls right back out of the trash pile and just keeps spinning?</p><p>Maybe as a twelve-year old brat, fighting an alien monster bent on taking over the planet and saving the Earth each and every day, Dib may have not understood any of that. He might not have understood the desperation in Zim’s features that day when he accidentally created a horrifying space anomaly. He had always thought that he’d been the most mature out of the two of them, but what immense pressure that must have been on Zim. It put things in to a different perspective.</p><p>Yet, Zim went right back to it afterwards. Even before he began receiving transmissions from the Tallest once more, he went straight back to trying to take control of the Earth and it’s people. He and Dib went straight back to their fights; the older they got the more bruises and black eyes they each stumbled away with; the more aggressive Zim became in their physical altercations, that Dib now realised was a result of crumbling pride – and the human boy had had to learn <em>fast </em>how to defend himself. Dib doubted Zim ever intended to kill him any of <em>those</em> times, but nonetheless, he was still a trained soldier since birth. As a child it had seemed fun and exciting... Now, the weight of what it all really meant was slamming in to him with all the force of a train.</p><p>And all that time, Zim was fighting for a cause- for an Empire that didn’t even <em>want </em>him! They’d been so good at the brainwashing and the great spiels of irken propaganda that he literally had no hope of surviving a cold and hateful world without them telling him what to do! The human had no doubt that if he had been left stranded on any other planet; any planet who recognized an irken anyway, that he would have been gutted on the spot – and who was he to say whether that was <em>right</em> or <em>not </em>in this case?!</p><p>Irk was responsible for so many terrible things. Zim himself was probably responsible for some of them.</p><p> </p><p>But here he was on Earth; where the only people who even <em>knew </em>what he was treated him like a friend. Zim was so fucking lucky… and <em>THAT </em>was how he re-payed all of Dib’s kindness?!</p><p>He would still choose Irk over Earth. Dib couldn’t let himself be fooled any more. He knew where the other’s true loyalties were now, and he knew where they would always lie. His Empire and his Tallest owned his every waking moment, even after they tossed him away. There was nothing Dib could do about it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Surprise! It was me, angst all along! I only pretended to make things better!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Facing The Truth</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>I made an art blog and I'll be drawing stuff to go along with this fic so please go give me a follow, I'd really appreciate that! The url is @chubbysluggie on Tumblr</p><p>Here's the link if you're on pc and find it easier -<br/>chubbysluggie.tumblr.com</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Trigger Warning:<br/>- Alcohol<br/>- Fear/Trauma of Authority figures</p><p>BIG SIGH<br/>Okay, so this chapter took a long time to get finished. I had a plan that completely went out of the window at the end of the last chapter. Originally, there was supposed to be another case here that would double down on the angst and have the boys working together whilst still feeling very awkward and uncomfortable over their argument and what Zim made Dib say in the previous chapter as an apology...</p><p>But I hated it. I hated writing it... Was not vibing with it at all. So I took that out, and then had to move stuff that was supposed to happen later forward. I'm sorry if this chapter feels meshed together, but I struggled with this one big time and well... this was the result -</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“It isn’t like this is normal, okay?”</p><p>“Uh huh.”</p><p>“Irkens shouldn’t <em>feel </em>anything like this… especially not for such <em>lowly </em>lifeforms!”</p><p>“Uh huh.”</p><p>“I just need…” He groaned and ran his hands once more over the old PAK that now sat in his lap whilst he slumped on the lumpy couch, “I just need to remember what I am. An irken needs no one, Gir. <em>Zim needs no one</em>…”</p><p>“Uh huh.” The tiny robot didn’t look away from the <em>teevee</em> as it played some mindless rom-com in the background.</p><p>“These… <em>feelings </em>Zim has been experiencing are just a result of losing my emotional inhibitor. Zim simple needs to adjust to these new emotions and stop allowing them control over me.”</p><p>“Uh huh.”</p><p>“It isn’t like Zim would actually <em>feel </em>anything for the human if I was still…”</p><p>“Uh huh.”</p><p>“Gir, are you even listening?!”</p><p>“Uh huh.”</p><p> </p><p>Zim pouted slightly at the glazed over look in the robot’s blue eyes and followed his view to look at the screen. Some silly story about a human man and woman who fell in love, but always seemed to be at odds with one another – or misunderstanding one another. He snorted and rolled his eyes; it wasn’t like things like that would ever happen in real life.</p><p>What was it with humans and this ‘romance’ nonsense?</p><p>Why were they all so obsessed with it?</p><p>He watched as the man and woman embraced and started eating each other’s faces on the screen. Disgusting. What primitive part of a human’s brain would make them want to salivate all over one another like that?!</p><p>Did Dib ever do that…?</p><p>He found himself wondering about it. There was a faint memory of what the humans called ‘prom’ that he recalled Dib inviting a girl from their class to. He could smell the nerves on the boy that night, but he’d been mostly distracted by the snack table. Was this what Dib and the human female wanted to do?</p><p>On reflex he recoiled, however the disgust from earlier wasn’t quite as prevalent when he thought of Dib. Somehow, at some point in time, <em>his </em>human had become the least repulsive out of all of them. Moving a hand over to his stomach, he rested it there. There was a new sensation now; different than the overpowering maw that had opened up in his spooch whenever he thought about their argument; this one felt strangely familiar. Or at least <em>similar</em>.</p><p>It felt like… being left behind again. Like watching over and over as other elites were chosen for missions over himself; like a perfectly executed plan failing because of some tiny oversight he’d failed to notice – and it was driving him mad. All these new emotions he still couldn’t identify; and Dib was no use right now. The thought of bringing up these new feelings to the other in that moment felt almost like another death sentence and it made his mind swim with anxiety.</p><p>Why did it all feel so familiar and yet so new?</p><p> </p><p>Groaning, he let his head lull back in to the lumpy couch cushions and placed the palm of his hand on the cold metal of his old PAK. The new one buzzed behind him, warmed between the fabric and his skin. Too much had changed all at once and Zim was still running behind it all trying desperately to catch up with his strange new world; what once was up was now down, wrong was right and enemies were now allies. It was ironically all very ‘alien’ to him still. He found himself wishing, not for the first time, that he could just strap on his old PAK and go back to how things were (it may have had it’s own problems, but at least he understood it.) This new PAK (or rather what it was <em>missing) </em>brought with it confusion and loss that he wasn’t sure he was equipped to deal with – wasn’t sure irkens were ever supposed to understand in the first place. Of course, any self-respecting and Tallest-revering irken would have self destructed long ago, but despite his best efforts to prove otherwise – Zim was no self-respecting irken. He was wild and untrustworthy by their standards, and only now was he finally beginning to accept that it was all true.</p><p>The little irken curled in on himself, and wrapped his arms tightly around his old PAK, crushing it against his chest. He was no irken by their standards any more.</p><p>Yet, he couldn’t just let go of that part of him. Couldn’t allow himself to forget the great Empire he was once a part of, in favor of a life-form that could die within the blink of an eye. Humans were weak; fragile and short-lived – Zim was by all accounts correct when he called Dib a lesser life-form.</p><p>So why did it feel so <em>wrong </em>now when he thought about it?</p><p>He shook his head and glared at the screen in front of him. The man and woman from earlier appeared to be on a ‘date’ now. They were laughing with each other as they walked along the street together, hand in hand.</p><p> </p><p>“… Are you and Dib going to make up soon?” The small robot next to him asked quietly.</p><p> </p><p>Zim glanced over at him, “What? We already-”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t like it when you’re mad at each other… It means you won’t be able to do fun things together like this.” He pointed at the screen, where the couple were eating ice creams together and the woman giggling and wiping some off the man’s nose. He rolled his eyes, but blushed slightly as the thought of Dib looking so positively ridiculous crept in to his mind. He could picture the raven-haired boy being none the wiser as he prattled on about whatever creature held his interest, with ice cream on the end of his nose, chin, mouth, lips… Dib was a pretty messy eater.</p><p> </p><p>“Master?”</p><p> </p><p>The little alien was snapped out of his day dream by his SIR, staring up at him with a surprised expression.</p><p> </p><p>“What is it Gir?”</p><p> </p><p>“You were smiling… I haven’t seen you smile since before-”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s quite enough!” He snapped suddenly, causing the robot to frown and a glum-looking expression plastered over his metallic face. He sighed, running a hand over his forehead as he thought through their conversation, “Perhaps it is time I laid out some boundaries for the Dib…”</p><p>
  <em>For both of us.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>He looked down at his bare hands laid out across the cold, grey covers of his old PAK and sighed.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>When exactly did I end up this way? So… native?</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>-------------------------</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Gaz hopped out of the cab in front of her brother’s apartment complex and rang the bell for his place. A few moments later she was buzzed through, and she grumbled to herself the entire way there wondering what exactly had taken Dib so long. Once inside the apartment, the door unlocked, she found said brother slumped over his laptop and half-heartedly scrolling the <em>Truth-Shrieker </em>forums looking for possible new leads on a case. He tapped the mousepad with one finger as it continued to scroll through pages and pages of text that Dib didn’t even seem remotely interested in reading any more.</p><p> </p><p>“You look like shit.”</p><p> </p><p>“I didn’t sleep.”</p><p> </p><p>“Were you up again all night searching for something? Dib, I told you… Dad won’t care if you use some of his money. He hasn’t even stopped sending us anything! It’s okay for you to use some of it now and pay him back once you guys are getting more cases.” She threw her bag down on the couch and quickly followed it, picking up some notes on the table to use as a make-shift fan. It was already pretty warm outside and Dib was definitely scrimping on the AC.</p><p> </p><p>“You know I want to do this on my own, Gaz…” The young man snapped back at her.</p><p> </p><p>“You mean… You and Zim, right? You aren’t alone on this, even if you do discount Dad… or me.” She huffed slightly, seeing her brilliant work on the website had been overlooked yet again.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s not what I-” He span his chair around to face her and slouched back against it, chewing on his lip and looking away, “You <em>know </em>that’s not what I meant! I’m grateful, Gaz! Really! You pulled through when you said you would and it looks…” He grumbled, knowing he had no choice to admit his sister’s work was definitely better than what he’d originally had, “It looks fantastic…”</p><p> </p><p>She nodded and gave a slightly smug smirk in return, “Thank you. It’s nice to be appreciated.”</p><p> </p><p>Now that he’d spun around he really took in her appearance. Gaz was wearing a lilac blouse over a black tank and choker; all tied together by some dark skinny jeans and short boots. She had soft makeup on and her hair was straightened and left hanging down over her shoulders. Her clothes had a lot less rips in them than usual.</p><p>“You look… nice.”</p><p> </p><p>“Why do you sound so surprised?!” The girl quickly snapped in return.</p><p> </p><p>The paranormal investigator faltered and quickly raised his hands in peace, “N-no, I didn’t mean- <em>Uhm</em>, what I meant to say was… well, that you look… <em>nice</em> nice. Like you’re going out some place special.”</p><p> </p><p>She stared at him, “Huh… When did you start picking up on this sorta stuff?”</p><p> </p><p>The boy only shrugged in response, “Guess I just know you better than you thought.”</p><p> </p><p>Gaz rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, falling back on the plush cushions of the couch, “… That girl I told you about… Her name is Diti. We had a chat when classes started again. She’s really nice, Dib. I guess I figured I’d give this whole ‘dating’ thing a shot.”</p><p> </p><p>The young man couldn’t hide hide surprise. He remembered the conversation; Gaz bringing up this popular girl in one of her classes, but he was honestly surprised his sister had decided to take a chance like that. Gaz had never been one for too much attention; always saying it took away from her gaming time and just wasn’t worth the hassle. When Gaz was nice people usually found her creepy and off-putting – when she was herself, they often ran away screaming. That was what he’d always said growing up but, now, looking at his sister, he saw how nervous she was about this. She <em>wanted </em>to make a good impression.</p><p>This was something important to her, so he held back his comments and smiled, “I hope it goes well.”</p><p> </p><p>The teenager returned the smile slowly and nodded. She didn’t say anything in return, she didn’t need to. Instead, she cleared her throat and forced her face back in to an expression of apathy.</p><p>“Before I meet her, I was gonna go pick up a few things from Dad’s place… You know, while he isn’t there. Is there anything there you’d like me to grab for you? It’s probably just going to be a quick trip… in and out.”</p><p> </p><p>He thought about it for a moment, “<em>Hmm</em>… There are some old science projects from college I wouldn’t mind having back. I think I took some stuff from Zim’s old contraptions to piece them together, so I figured there might be one or two things he could reuse. Also the notes from my old EMF reader may come in pretty useful at some point down the road.”</p><p>“Cool. I’ll leave my stuff here and pick it up on my way back.” Quickly rooting through her bag, she pulled out her phone and purse, before making her way over to the door once more.</p><p>“Was that really all you came over for?”</p><p>“I mean <em>yeah</em>? Your place is kinda conveniently closer to my bus stop and I figured I’d be a <em>nice</em> and ask before just going in and grabbing my own shit.” Gaz shrugged, already heading for the door, “Don’t go in my bag, stay away from my Game Slave and try to get some sleep, alright?”</p><p>“Yeah, whatever… I’m not exactly willing to put my life on the line to root through my evil sister’s bag. Say hi to Clem for me.” He turned back to his computer and silently contemplated closing it down before he heard the clasp of the door lock and decided he might listen to reason for once. Sleep did sound like a good idea.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>-----------------------</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A few hours later and Zim found himself staring at the screen. He’d allowed his brain to switch off and was quietly lulled in to two more of these ridiculous ‘chick flics’ as Gir and the computer called them. Now he regretted it. His stupid, new <em>emotional hormones </em>had cropped back up and the irken now found himself cradling a pillow and bawling his eyes out as he watched the couple kiss in the climax of one movie, only for one of them to immediately be killed off.</p><p>“Why must life be so cruel, Gir?” He sniffled out, through clenched teeth, trying desperately not to collapse in to another fit of sobs.</p><p>“I ‘unno.” The robot choked out in response, “THEY WERE TOO PURE!”</p><p>Zim stared at the screen as the whiny heroine clung to her lover as the rain pelted them. His squeedilyspooch twisted and turned at the image. It felt strange to feel so much sympathy for two characters he had literally no relation too.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Wait a minute.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“GAH! GIR!” The little irken shot up like he’d been shot with an electrical volt and jumped to his feet. His SIR unit stood at attention immediately, saluting… before quickly flopping on to the floor and dissolving in to another sobbing mess.</p><p> </p><p>Zim inched away and kicked the robot gently with his foot, “<em>Uh… Uhm”</em></p><p> </p><p>“TOO PURE FOR THIS WOOOORLD!”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes well… Oh, <em>Irk</em>… Is <em>THIS</em> what <em><b>I </b></em>sound like now?!” He winced slightly as he watched the hysterical robot roll around on the floor; dirt and tears streaked across the greasy dog hoodie that desperately needed a good washing. He shuddered at the mental image.</p><p>“No. You are much less tolerable.” The Computer chimed in unhelpfully.</p><p>Zim put his foot down and slammed the button on the <em>teevee </em>that brought back the comforting emptiness of the black screen, “ENOUGH! This <em>uh</em> … <em>emotional b</em><em>ug</em> ends NOW! No more crying for Zim! I am a trained irken soldier and I will not be moved by such <em>filthy human feelings!”</em></p><p>“<em>So… </em>what, then?”</p><p>“I need to make sure to remember myself, Computer. I need to make sure Dib knows that too! I am a warrior, not some simple-minded organic, and I will not be moved by such trivial nonsense such as the ‘<em>friend ships</em>’ and ‘<em>compassion</em>’… and definitely not this… ‘<em>luuurve’. Disgusting.</em>” He folded his arms across his chest resolutely and nodded at his decision.</p><p>“Yes! From this moment forward boundaries must be set between Zim and the human! We are becoming too close… It isn’t natural, Computer! I do not want…”</p><p>“To disgrace the Empire more than you already have?”</p><p>“<em>Eh</em>…<em> YES! </em>Wait… NO! ZIM DID NOT… <em>Uhh</em>… ”</p><p>There was a mechanical sighing noise as the AI tries to reason with the dots Zim had to connect in order to arrive at this convoluted conclusion, “Master, I really do not think it matters any more what <em>they</em>-”</p><p>“QUIET! I HAVE MADE UP MY MIND! NO MORE SILLY FEELINGS FOR THE HUMANS… ESPECIALLY THE DIB!”</p><p> </p><p>His mind was set and his doubts almost gone when he heard a soft ringing sound coming from inside his PAK. Extending a PAK limb with the device attached, he answered the phone and was surprised to hear a familiar voice. It wasn’t who he was expecting though.</p><p> </p><p>“Zim?” Gaz sounded quiet on the other end of the line.</p><p> </p><p>The irken hesitated before answering, “… Yes?”</p><p> </p><p>The girl on the other side of the communicator gave a deep sigh like she hadn’t been certain he would pick up (and was even less certain what to say).</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Listen, I found… <em>We </em>found some pretty heavy stuff out and, well… Dib needs you right now. Get your ass over here.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>With that she hung up. Zim got up and started running to Dib’s place as fast as he could.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>--------------------</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Zim wondered in to Dib’s apartment and passed Gaz on the way out. The girl looked down at him with anger behind her gaze; streaks of black drizzled down from her dark eye bags. He flinched away from the harsh stare she fixed him with but she only nodded at him, shoved her hands in to her pockets and stomped out of the door in to the warm night air.</p><p>Upstairs, he found the other human in his room. Dib was slumped against the wall with his legs pushed up against the bed and clutching a half empty bottle of something that smelled vaguely alcoholic. He’d caught a whiff of it on Gaz as well, but no where near as heavy. As he slunk down to sit next to the boy, he awkwardly played with his own claws as he tried to figure out what he was meant to be doing – why Gaz had called <em>him </em>of all people instead of trying to comfort her brother by herself.</p><p>Things became clearer when he listened to Dib babble at him.</p><p> </p><p>“I can’t believe it. I can’t believe he lied to us for all those years…” The dark-haired boy sat stock-still on the floor and leaned back against the wall of his bedroom, “Can’t believe we were <em>clones </em>this whole time!”</p><p>Zim stared at him, looking between the blotchy-red and still leaking eyes, and the foul-smelling liquid he clung to. He slowly reached out and took the bottle away, sitting it down on the floor away from them as he made his way back over to where Dib sat, now sobbing in the corner.</p><p>“Is that… a bad thing?” He asked cautiously.</p><p>Dib sniffed and wiped at his eyes with a wet hoodie sleeve, “It’s not exactly normal for humans.”</p><p>“… All irkens are clones, Stink. You will have to explain this more to me. Why are you crying?”</p><p>The dark-haired boy shook his head and gave a small, sad smile, “I don’t expect you to understand it, Zim… But I just finally realised <em>why </em>my Dad was always so… <em>Uh… </em>well, he was always so adamant that I would be his heir and carry on doing science and stuff. Now it just makes a lot more sense. I was never going to make him happy unless I was exactly like him… And we both know by now I am nothing like him.”</p><p>Dib put his head between his knees and wrapped his arms in front of his face, but the irken next to him could clearly hear the quiet sobbing that shook through his body, “I can see now that he always hated me for that. Fuck, Zim… I knew I disappointed him… but… well, I think he really does <em>hate </em>me for it.”</p><p>The little alien had no idea what to say; what to do. Dib was always the one comforting him whenever his pitiful emotions broke free… what was he supposed to do when things were reversed?!</p><p>He had no experience here. Reaching out his placed a hesitant hand on the other’s shoulder and gently smoothed the fabric, hoping simultaneously Dib would feel him and also wouldn’t. The young man stopped shaking after what felt like an eternity and reached out for a scrap of paper under the bed. Zim took it between his claws and glanced over what seemed to be the last page in some long-winded scientific drivel of a report about creating perfectly identical clones.</p><p>The final line had the experiment written off as a failure.</p><p>“I was created to be another one of<em> him...</em> a second Professor Membrane… <em>but I’m not.</em> I thought all this time I just had to prove myself in my own field… even if it was one he didn’t understand; even if I never got <em>his</em> attention, I thought I could be just as good in my own way. But I can’t. I can’t ever be anything more than a failed version of <em>him.</em>”</p><p>Zim still felt awkward. He didn’t want the human to feel like this. He didn’t want to see Dib sad. It hurt him and he still wasn’t sure why. Yet, all the years of training and loyalty to Irk told him he <em>shouldn’t </em>care about this right now. Another unimportant, useless life-form that was merely a speck under the gaze of the mighty irken soldier…</p><p>But Dib wasn’t that. Maybe he wasn’t that any more, maybe he never had been and Zim was only just coming to terms with it now. Dib was the only one who had ever treated him as the threat he truly was since arriving on Earth, and the little alien was so close to feeling exactly just how small and insignificant he really was without that attention. Now, here he was – face to face with those exact insecurities reflected right back at him from Dib, and he felt his spooch about to shatter if he had to confront how similar they truly were for any longer.</p><p>But it didn’t shatter. It just hurt a lot. They sat there in an uncomfortable silence, as Dib pawed around looking for the half-empty bottle and eventually gave up and returned to his spot against the wall. Zim had no choice but to watch and wait it out until his friend felt like he could face the world once more.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>-----------------------</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hours later, the two of them sat in the same position on the floor. Dib had continued to drink, but Zim didn’t touch any of it. He knew he needed to keep a somewhat-level head right now for the human; even if his own world was continuing to crumble in on itself alongside Dib’s. Not really paying attention, he allowed himself to be soothed by the slow breathing of the other next to him as Dib calmed down from bawling his eyes out once more.</p><p>Without even realising he’d let it slip out he asked himself aloud, “… What have you done to me, human?”</p><p>The question was supposed to be said in his mind; to no one but himself. However, he felt the body next to him shift when he heard it and cursed himself.</p><p>“What? What d’ya mean what have <em>I </em>done to <em>you?” </em>Dib’s voice was still cracking slightly between slowly dissolving sobs and he must have only gotten more drunk or tired now he was beginning to slur his words, “What have <em>YOU </em>done to <em>me</em>?! Fuck, when you stopped talkin’ to me… I thought I’d lost the only person in my life who might actually give a shit.”</p><p>The irken flinched slightly, one antennae twitching from the nerves as he realised his plan to distance himself may have come too late – and what did it matter anyway?</p><p> </p><p>Here he was, dropping everything to come to Dib the minute he found out something was wrong. He was kidding himself when he thought he still had hope to stop this emotional storm before it got too far – things already had gotten too far. He was too invested now. Too close to this.</p><p> </p><p>“Zim was… thinking about the Dib. About the fight we had… Zim is worried we may have become too close? I-it gets hard sometimes… to remind myself that you are just a stinky human… I-I shouldn’t… <em>uhh… </em>I shouldn’t have allowed myself to become this attached.” He looked away and made a tight fist curled up against the floor, his claws stung slightly as he tensed up waiting for the anger in response to his statement.</p><p>But instead, of anger coming off of Dib, all he sensed was a sadness.</p><p> </p><p>“… So now y-you… want to leave me as well…?” Dib stated bitterly, “You. The one p-person I thought might… understand me right now…” He hiccuped slightly as his words came out broken.</p><p> </p><p>The irken felt a stabbing pain in his chest and quickly clutched at it, startled for a moment as though he’d actually been injured.</p><p> </p><p>“No! I just… This isn’t how Zim should behave… T-the Empire would never allow-”</p><p> </p><p>"Is this really how you want to live out your days on Earth? Under the laws of an empire that has no control over you any more?! You make the rules now! You can decide what is and isn't okay now! What do you want, Zim?!" The raven-haired boy snapped, almost pulling out his own hair as he stared desperately at his friend. Dib was frantic; his half-drunk mind slowly losing to the voice in his head telling him to push further. It didn’t work out the last time, but this time it might just; this time he was coming from a place of understanding (at least that’s what he told himself), and he needed Zim to understand as well.</p><p> </p><p>"Me?! N-no! Zim wants nothing from the Dib-Stink! Zim is merely here to ensure you’re… <em>eh… </em>ookaaay?” The irken fumbled with his words, claws wrapping nervously in his shirt as though he wanted to be any where else, having any other conversation. He looked back to Dib and saw the other wasn’t buying it, but the slight sway in the human told him there was a good chance Dib wouldn’t even remember this conversation anyway.</p><p> </p><p>He looked away and sighed longingly, “I want to lay on the dirty ground with you and watch stars again! I want to fall asleep under mountains of blankets with you snoring next to me! I want to let you get closer.... I <em>want</em>... Don't you get it?! I shouldn’t by want any of those things!"</p><p> </p><p>Dib stared at the little gremlin in front of him, barely believing what he was hearing. He was frustrated, shaking from the power of the emotions welling up within him, “D’you know how hard it is with youuu? One minute you want me around and then the next you avoid me like the plague! You tell me things- your uniform<em>, your gloves</em>... Things that make me believe you <em>like</em> hanging out with me! Then you try to hold me at arms length again! Like you- you're… scared… You’re scared of them.”</p><p>It was like a light just went off in Dib’s mind, “You’re scared of doing something that would upset them.”</p><p> </p><p>“W-what?” Zim stared at him.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re so used to living with that fear… <em>terrified</em> of what <em>they</em> might do if they find out you disobeyed again… You’re scared of your Tallests, Zim.” His words were getting away from him now before he even had chance to realise what he was saying, as he ran a hand frantically through his hair, “But tha’ won’t happen. They think you’re <em>dead, </em>Space Boy<em>… </em>so <em>how </em>could that ever happen?”</p><p>The alien gulped, “Do not be ridiculous… Zim is scared of nothing. Especially not my Tallest! W-what reason would I ever have to fear them? They are my benevolent rulers!”</p><p>The human looked at him with those pitying eyes again and it sent shocks through him. He felt his entire body heat up under those accusations – or maybe that look of understanding that Dib had finally just come to. He hated it…</p><p>“S-stupid Dib! You do not know the ways of my people!” He put his hands on his hips and stood as tall as he could, forcing the last semblance of pride up into his chest and puffing it out, “The Tallest have always been harsh on me because they want me to be the best I can be!”</p><p> </p><p>“Zim…”</p><p> </p><p>“They’ve always… <em>always </em>given Zim extra obstacles compared to the other less t-talented irkens…”</p><p> </p><p>“… Zim…”</p><p> </p><p>“And they’re always… s-so <em>happy</em> when I overcome those trials…”</p><p> </p><p>Dib knelt down and placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder, “<em>Y</em><em>ou</em><em>’</em><em>re</em><em> shaking…</em>”</p><p> </p><p>He flinched from the touch and his breath caught in his throat. Slowly, he looked up to meet the other’s gaze and everything came crashing down around him in that moment. He knew that Dib was seeing him for what he really was. His brain was working at half the speed it should be right now, and yet it really must have been as plain as day if the human could still see past it all before he could.</p><p> </p><p>He <em>was </em>scared. Always had been.</p><p> </p><p>But irkens never admitted to fear. Irkens never admitted to weakness.</p><p> </p><p><em>Never</em>-</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Zim is… afraid.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The human boy crossed his legs and sat facing him, arms open and inviting him in, but he stayed sat where he was. It wasn’t like they’d never done the human ‘<em>hugging’ </em>before, but he had always been on the receiving end, and this was an invitation to initiate one.</p><p>“They tried to kill you.”</p><p> </p><p>“… multiple times” The irken finally realised, eyes beginning to glaze over with cold memories as tears formed in them.</p><p> </p><p>Dib nodded, “<em>Mhm</em>… They tried to get rid of you… But they couldn’t. Because you always had something more to say. You had more to offer them, and for whatever reason you couldn’t just stay in your box. It hurt to get it thrown back in your face, right?”</p><p> </p><p>He nodded slowly, faraway expression still present.</p><p> </p><p>“I know how that feels… I know that even though you know when you aren’t wanted, it can be scary to move on and just… leave it all behind. But you have to, Zim. You have to leave the Empire behind you now, otherwise you’ll burn yourself out. You can’t live your life afraid.”</p><p> </p><p>The space bug didn’t really know what he was doing at first, as he climbed into the boy’s lap. He curled in on himself and pulled his knees to him, resting his head on Dib’s chest as tears began to fall from his eyes. He didn’t realise what he meant at first, when he felt the human’s arms wrap around him and hold him tightly. The young man pulled him closer and laid a lazy kiss on his head as he cradled the alien.</p><p>“They don’t care… <em>they never did</em>.” He said after a long time.</p><p>“No. S’ard to face it, buuuut I’m glad you finally see it…”</p><p>“… Why does this hurt so bad, Dib?”</p><p>The human thought for a moment on how to answer that. His mind went back to earlier that day, when he learned the truth about his father. When he finally found out why he’d never be enough. That final moment when he realised he’d never even stood a <em>chance.</em></p><p>“It’s called grief. It hurts… like, a lot… but it’s important, okay?”</p><p>The little alien looked up and shook his head, “N-no… Not okay. Make it stop.”</p><p>Dib sighed and drew lopsided circles on his cheek, squinting his eyes and forcing a small smile as he fought off the tipsy haze to try and focus on what he needed to say, “Sorry, can’t. Even if I could, I wouldn’t… ‘M proud of you right now, Zim.”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“Believe it or not... S’good thing… At least that’s what people say.”</p><p>“People are dumb! … And stinky!” He could tell Zim was trying desperately to fight back tears.</p><p>Dib nodded, “I know… but listen to me, okay? No ones stopping you any more. No ones going to come after you if you break their dumb rules now… and that’s awesome!"</p><p>The irken’s small frame seemed to shuffle slightly in his lap, almost as though he was looking for something real to anchor himself to, “I… I don’t know… This is a lot, Dib. If Zim does not follow the Empire any more, then who?”</p><p>“S’easy. You follow yourself now… You decide what you want to do, and if it’s right or wrong…” Dib gave him a crooked smile, hoping he was finally getting through; although perhaps there was a need to back-pedal just a little, “But, maybe no more killing or abducting innocent people, alright? I’ll be here to stop you if you take things too far… just like always.”</p><p>Zim gave a small chuckle, “Yeah. That sounds accurate.”</p><p> </p><p>An idea suddenly sparked inside Dib’s inebriated mind that suddenly seemed like the most brilliant thing he could ever dream up. The human suddenly grabbed Zim by the shoulders, an intense and (only slightly) crazed look in his eyes, “Do you know what we should do?! We should just pack up and leave!”</p><p>“Leave?” Zim’s right antennae raised as he looked at the young man in disbelief. Dib was so close and subconsciously, his antennae found themselves lacing within the boy’s messy dark locks. Even behind the scent of his sadness and this now, newfound mania… Dib still had that unmistakable smell of old books and coffee – something Zim shouldn’t have been so drawn in by, and yet he found himself leaning closer, enraptured by the young man’s sudden change of emotion. It was also pretty intoxicating.</p><p>“N-not permanently… But like… Just… drive off for a while! We could go on a road trip! Just not think about all this stuff until we get back! Yeah!” Dib was breathing heavily and the pleading look on his face told Zim that the other desperately needed him to go along with this plan. Getting away for a while might even be a <em>good</em> idea…</p><p>He nodded, “Where would we go?”</p><p> </p><p>The human grinned widely, “Ever heard of a road trip?”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>-----------------</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Dib woke up the next day to something he really was not expecting. In his bedroom, there was a small alien sat cross-legged on the bed, carefully folding clothing and placing it inside a large suitcase. The bed looked like it hadn’t been slept in (which made sense, since he woke up on the floor, covered in an old blanket and wearing his slippers on the wrong feet).</p><p>“<em>Um</em>… Whaaat exactly are you doing?” He asked groggily, as he pulled himself to his feet, switched his slippers round and promptly felt like falling over anyway. <em>Jesus, his head hurt.</em></p><p>“Isn’t it obvious? I’m packing your things… Zim is being helpful!”</p><p>“Right. I’ll deal with that after coffee, thank you.”</p><p> </p><p>It took the five minutes needed to prepare said coffee, plus an extra three to drink half a cup, before Zim’s words finally sunk in and he speed-walked back to his bedroom to find the irken shoving his weight against the suitcase and pushing it against a wall. He huffed and rubbed his hands together when he was finished, looking relieved, and nodded to himself.</p><p>“…. So <em>why</em> are you packing my clothes up?”</p><p> </p><p>Zim rolled his eyes and pulled a large sheet out from under the bed. He unfolded it to reveal a map of the next few counties with a few scribbled circles and notes on it. Dib glanced over it and his eyes widened as he began to piece together things from short memories of the previous night. His face turned red when he remembered Zim crawling on to his lap and the two of them just sitting there and talking through everything…</p><p>“Oh God… I really was drunk. Zim, look…” He sighed, rubbing at his forehead and hoping to ease his hangover and tried to hide his growing blush from the other, “We can’t <em>really </em>do this. We can’t really just up and leave! I have rent to pay! I’m still trying to find a new place!”</p><p>Zim merely waved a dismissive hand, too distracted to notice the change in pheromones, “Details, details…”</p><p>In an effort to distract himself and focus on the real problem, the human grabbed the map and ran over the locations he’d circled. It looked like a lot of popular supernatural hotspots – haunted motels, cryptid sightings, the works…</p><p>“All of this stuff costs <em>money</em>! I can’t afford this!”</p><p>The alien pulled out a stack of money and held it out, “Money.”</p><p>The young man narrowed his eyes, “Do I even want to know where you got this?”</p><p>Zim’s eyes shimmered in a way that Dib had begun to interpret as him rolling them, “Call it a <em>loan</em>.”</p><p>“From who?”</p><p>“Someone the Gaz knows.”</p><p>“She’s in on this too?!”</p><p>“I called her last night after you passed out. She thinks it’s a great idea.” Zim picked at a loose thread on his sweater and glared at it, “Something about the two of us <em>needing some space </em>from everything else.”</p><p>The paranormal investigator stared at the map and groaned. It would be pretty cool to get to visit some of the places on this thing. He remembered partial bits and pieces of the conversation he’d had with Zim the earlier night though; the irken constantly flip-flopping back and forth on what he wanted and what was too far. Then again, hadn’t he always?</p><p>“So we really planned all this out last night then…?”</p><p>“<em>Mhm</em>.” Zim nodded, “And we’re using the Voot.”</p><p>“Wait, <em>what</em>?!” Dib thought for a moment and scratched at the back of his neck, “… I mean the point in road trips is the journey from place to place. Kinda defeats the purpose if you can just fly there super fast, don’t you think?”</p><p>“I will never understand your obsession with spending extended amounts of time in a smelly vehicle when we could visit all of these places in less than a week!” Zim motioned at the map, “They’re so close together! We could travel <em>anywhere </em>in the Voot!”</p><p>“That’s kinda the point… You never seen a road-trip on TV?” The young man stared at him and then began to laugh, “I can’t believe I’m actually thinking of humouring you on this one…”</p><p>“And why would you not?! It was <em>YOUR</em> idea, Stinky!”</p><p>“It’s a terrible idea!”</p><p>“We’re doing it!”</p><p>“We’re just gonna be running from our problems!”</p><p>“Exactly!”</p><p>“Zim-” Dib stopped and raised a hand to his forehead. He knew it was pointless to argue any more. Besides, it did seem kind of fun…</p><p>“I just… I don’t have the money for a deposit on a new place yet. If we go driving off to god-knows where I’ll never make it in time before my lease is up at the end of the month.”</p><p>“… You can still come and live with me. At least… until you find somewhere else…” Zim answered quickly before looking away and busying himself making sure the zipper was secure on the suitcase. There was an awkward hope lingering behind his words that Dib felt resonate within his own chest. It made his throat feel dry and he wondered if there was something else there that he couldn’t quite put his finger on just yet.</p><p>“… I guess… If that’s really okay with you.”</p><p>The little bug didn’t look up to meet his eyes, but a lilac blush spread across his face as he forced a neutral expression, “Why would it not be?”</p><p>It was almost like the previous night’s conversation had been entirely forgotten, and yet a weight lifted from both of them. Dib breathed a sigh of relief. There was no need for him to make this awkward between them right now by trying to thank the other, or apologise for his behaviour last night. It just would just make things weird.</p><p> </p><p>“This is still a terrible idea.”</p><p> </p><p>Zim only shrugged.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>so... ROAD TRIP!</p><p>I know I've still not sent them on any trips in the Voot, my bf has pointed it out to me a couple times now but I just... I LOVE media about American roadtrips okay?? and I just feel like I couldn't really accomplish that feeling with the Voot rn, but I will have them use it in the future at some point. Until then, they use Dib's smelly car</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. A Perfectly Normal Summer Roadtrip</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>TW:<br/>- Implied depression during Dib's high school years</p><p>I did a collab with a friend for this fic! You can find it here :)<br/>chubbysluggie.tumblr.com/post/643140812922929152</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm so sorry! it's been so long since I last updated;;;<br/>I don't want to say I think I'm back in to the swing of things now because tbh I just don't know... I'm so unfocused rn and I don't want to force myself to write this when I'm really not feeling it. I'm doing okay though, joined a couple new servers and started roleplaying with some people so I'm happy to finally have some friends in this fandom &gt;///&lt;<br/>But this chapter I am pretty happy with! Hope you enjoy-</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Later that day they were already leaving; nothing to stay around for, and Zim wouldn’t even let Dib unpack the cases he’d thrown together to check what the alien had even shoved in there for him. They took a short trip to see Gir and Minimoose, and so the alien could pick up a bag of clothes for himself, and then stocked up on snacks. Then they left a voicemail for Gaz asking her to check in on the robot and tiny moose once in a while – and they were setting off. Just like that, without a second thought to the problems they left behind (at least that’s what Dib was telling himself.)</p><p>The human boy yawned and wished he’d managed to get a fourth coffee from the store before they left, but at least his hangover was finally dying down. Zim lay back in the seat beside him, casually flicking through radio stations and creating a horrible cacophony of noise as he looked for something he actually recognized between the fizzling stations. He looked at the alien out of the corner of his eye; purple irises focused as he twisted the dials.</p><p> </p><p>“I thought you said you’d listened to some human music already?”</p><p>“Yes, I have listened to a lot of human music… but this blasted planet always seems to have even more that I haven’t listened to and it’s just impossible!” The alien grumbled.</p><p>Dib snorted and returned his gaze on to the vast road in front of them, “Yeah I guess that makes sense, he thought about it for a moment before reaching out and fiddling with the dial himself, “Here, try this one.”</p><p>They waited for a moment before a burst of sound came through the car’s stereo and Zim stared at the radio. He broke out in to a wide grin, “Hey, I know this one! This is by that <em>Acey-Decey</em> that that the Gaz was talking about!”</p><p>Dib only laughed, “You mean AC/DC… Yeah, I’d say this is a pretty perfect song to play at the start of a road-trip.” He leaned back in the driver’s seat and started singing along to the lyrics, surprised but impressed when Zim soon joined in. Before long, they had the windows rolled down and were belting <em>Highway to Hell </em>at the top of their lungs (and squeedilyspooch). Zim was leaning out of the window and practically screaming the lyrics at anyone who dared look at him.</p><p> </p><p>They didn’t even miss a beat when the next song came on and it was also one both seemed to recognize. This station had been a lucky guess, but it seemed like Zim really had taken Gaz’s music suggestions to heart and looked up some of the classics. By the time they were on the fourth song, both boys were out of breath and panting softly; Dib found himself beginning to laugh out loud from the sheer relief he was feeling; migraine be damned. It was like things had just gone back to normal between the two of them, and he was giddy from it – any sourness towards Zim, his father or anyone else forgotten in that moment as they pelted out power ballads and drove along the highway. He was pretty sure Zim felt the same way as well.</p><p>They drove along for miles and miles until the city became a distant view out of the back window. Grass and shrubs began to overtake the sides of the road the further away from civilisation they got until only the wilderness and the asphalt seemed to be present. Zim stared out of the window with wide eyes just like the last time they left the city and Dib found himself amused.</p><p> </p><p>“I suppose you don’t really see much of Earth when you travel around in the Voot, huh? Still sour we didn’t take your little spaceship?~” He asked in a teasingly light tone.</p><p> </p><p>Zim shot him a look and pouted, “The Voot still would have been faster.” He muttered in a petulant voice and shifted his gaze to stare back out at the horizon.</p><p> </p><p>“Just admit you like the scenery already, Roach.”</p><p> </p><p>“… I will admit… it is pleasant.” He heard a quiet answer and gave a quick glance to Zim, before immediately stifling a laugh. How Zim had managed to make a compliment sound like it physically hurt him to say, he would never understand; and yet his alien always seemed to manage it.</p><p> </p><p>They settled like this for a while; Dib driving as Zim stared out of the window, his face rested on the palm of his hand as his antennae flitted about in the light breeze. They seemed to twitch now and then as though the air tickled. He zoned out and seemed to be completely lost in a world of his own, until Dib pulled in to a lay-by and parked.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>----------------------</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Zim lay on the roof of the car, hands behind his head, and stared at the sky; whilst he listened to the sounds of Dib setting up a few cameras on the ground beneath him. It wasn’t late, and he wondered what they were going to do for the rest of the night, now that the human had decided this was their first stop.</p><p> </p><p>“I do not remember any part of this area being circled, Stink.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, well… I remembered recently there have been sightings of <em>dogmen</em> in this area. Thought it might be worth a stop. We can just stay for tonight and see if the cameras pick anything up.” The human huffed as he tried to fit a particularly hard piece in to one of the cameras.</p><p> </p><p>“Stay out here? In the car?”</p><p>“I mean, if you’re brave enough you can always sleep up there tonight…” He could practically hear the human smirking as he spoke. The irken rolled his eyes and made a mocking face whilst the other couldn’t see.</p><p>“You know what I mean, <em>Dibiot</em>. Where will we <em>rest</em>?!”</p><p>“<em>Aww,</em> the <em>mighty irken warrior</em> needs his beauty sleep now?~” Dib teased.</p><p>“Yes! Yes, I do indeed need to sleep now just like you pathetic humans! You know this!”</p><p> </p><p>The human only leaned against the side of the car to catch Zim’s eye so he could send him a disgustingly smug smirk, “My humour is wasted on you, Space Boy.”</p><p>Zim rolled slightly so he could use a PAK leg to knock the other off balance while he wasn’t looking, and grinned when he succeeded in causing a stumble. His new PAK had taken some getting used to, but his fight with the kelpie had given him much more confidence in controlling it – although he would never admit to Dib that he’d ever had any trouble calibrating it in the first place.</p><p>Dib caught himself a huffed, “Don’t worry, alright? I’m gonna push the back seats of the car down and lay some blankets and pillows over them. We’ll probably be doing a lot of sleeping in the car… so you might wanna get used to the idea.”</p><p> </p><p>“… You want Zim to sleep in this tiny cramped ship, next to you, Dib-Smelly?!” The alien practically rolled right off the roof of the car. It wasn’t so much from the shock of sleeping next to Dib, but rather how tiny the space they would be sharing was. The human jumped slightly at the outburst and took a hesitant look at the back seats of his car.</p><p> </p><p>“Well… W-with the trunk collapsed… it, <em>uhm… </em>It just doesn’t look like a lot of space right now! Once I’ve finished setting it up, you’ll see! We’ll be fine.” He answered quickly. He wasn’t even sure why he suddenly felt self-conscious about this –<em> stupid alien, making him feel weird all of a sudden!</em></p><p> </p><p>Wanting to get it out of the way, and for the benefit of shutting Zim up, he got to folding down the back of the trunk and the seats, before spreading two thick blankets across them and throwing a few pillows down for extra measure. He’d packed a lot of blankets, knowing full well that Zim was likely to steal the majority and make a nest to burrow in to – he didn’t mind too much, it was the middle of summer and he’d be happy with just the one. He even considered leaving the windows down to let in some of the nice breeze, however once they went to sleep he reasoned shutting them would probably be for the best – it wasn’t like they were hoping to catch sightings of <em>Jackalopes</em> after all, the area they were in was not exactly known for it’s safe wildlife. He knew the two of them could handle themselves, but he reminded himself they were only out here to observe and hopefully catch some sightings on film – if they could avoid any confrontation that would be for the best.</p><p>Taking out some old Christmas lights he’d picked up as a last minute addition, he slung them through the handles on the inner-roof of the car and hooked them up to the battery at the front; that should give them just enough light once the sun goes down and until they decided to sleep. Finally, he set his laptop up in the middle of the makeshift bed and opened up some tabs he’d had saved; old monster movies; some episodes of <em>Mysterious Myster</em><em>i</em><em>es; </em>documentaries about cryptids and <em>UFO</em> sightings. He wondered if Zim would be interested in watching them with him – then figured of course he would, he’d want to point out all the glaringly obvious mistakes humans had made about aliens over the years. Chuckling to himself, he stepped outside to invite the bug to join him but was stopped when he saw the alien laying on the roof and looking up at the stars with an almost tired expression. He jumped up on to the roof next to him and lay down.</p><p> </p><p>“… Zim… do you ever get homesick?”</p><p>“Homesick? Why would my home make me sick?”</p><p>Dib gave a small laugh, “No… I mean… do you ever miss Irk?”</p><p>Zim shook his head, “I barely new Irk. I spent most of my life there underground in training… I have spent much more time on Earth and other planets that I did my own.”</p><p> </p><p>The investigator frowned but couldn’t stop himself from prying, “What was it like?”</p><p>“Irk?”</p><p> </p><p>He nodded and waited while Zim thought over the question.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s very… metal. Compared to this place and a lot of other natural planets… Irk had it’s ecosystem wiped a long time ago. The surface is used mostly for weapons production. All the food is grown and distributed from other planets in the Empire.” He nods, “Efficiency is what’s important… here… you seem to go out of your way to make things look pleasing over functionality.”</p><p>He couldn’t help but laugh again, “Yeah… I guess compared to that we do.” He rolled over and rested his head on his arm to look at Zim, “What did it used to be like? Before all the military stuff…?”</p><p>“That was quite a bit before my time, Dib” The alien laughed, “But I do know a little from my time as a scientist… We aren’t really taught about the unimportant aspects of our history as smeet… but the vortians kept records. Ancient Irk was an oasis of sorts; very flat but full of soft pink desserts and grassy fields. Thanks to it’s two suns there was an abundant source flora all over the planet… fauna too… but most of it is extinct now.”</p><p>Dib sighed, glancing away, “I suppose you probably think that’s a good thing?”</p><p> </p><p>“… The soldier in me says yes. That it’s more efficient and clean… but…”</p><p>“...But?” The human looked up, surprised.</p><p> </p><p>Zim sighed and looked over to meet his gaze, “The scientist in me wishes I could have seen it. Studied some of the life it produced…”</p><p> </p><p>The human boy smiled widely back at him, nodding, “Yeah! … Me too.”</p><p> </p><p>He received a playful punch for that and they fell in to a comfortable silence.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>----------------------</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Later, they lounged inside the car under a few blankets with the laptop sat between them. Zim was gnawing on some sort of hard candy and Dib found watching him work at that far more interesting than the awful documentary they were watching (he’d seen it a bunch of times already anyway).</p><p> </p><p>“Why do humans think aliens do this stuff?” Zim suddenly interrupted his thoughts.</p><p>“Huh?” Dib was brought out of his musings.</p><p>“Why do humans think aliens make these ‘cropped circles’?”</p><p>The young man looked back to the screen and frowned slightly in thought, “I don’t know… I guess some people think they’re some sort of message from alien life?”</p><p>The actual alien lying next to him gave him a deadpan glare, “<em>Yes</em>, Dib… Because if aliens<em> really </em>wanted to talk to smelly humans they’d do it by carving pretty patterns in to some random fields…”</p><p>“Hey, I didn’t say I believed it!” He conveniently left out the part about how he once had, “I happen to know from personal experience they’re caused by cows, actually!”</p><p>The irken plopped his head down on to a pillow and just stared blankly at him, “Cows?”</p><p>“Cows.”</p><p>“<em>Uh huh</em>…”</p><p>“<em>Yep.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>“… Guess that makes more sense than supposed ‘intelligent beings’ ever wanting to make contact with your dumb species.” Zim smirked at him.</p><p>“Well, I guess you’re right…” Dib said slyly, taking a sadistic pride in the beam of victory that lit up Zim’s features before adding, “After all, I’ve never known any ‘intelligent beings’ from outer space as of yet.”</p><p>The other’s face fell and he glared back at the boy, who failed to stifle a laugh. Zim flung a pillow at him and it hit him in the mouth. The alien laughed loudly when he fell back on to the make-shift bed. He rolled around for a moment to get comfortable again in the new formation of piled blankets, the Christmas lights that Dib had haphazardly strung inside the car lit up his eyes like they were sparkling, and the human boy felt his face flush red. He quickly looked away.</p><p>This was happening more often ever since that night in the forest. Dib would be minding his own business and suddenly he’d be overcome by sappy thoughts about how beautiful those eyes were, or how cute Zim was when he was happy and just enjoying being himself like now.</p><p> </p><p>It was weird and new to him.</p><p>But, Dib supposed, he’d never been this close to someone before…</p><p> </p><p>It was weird to think – if he met his twelve-year old self now, he would never believe that his greatest enemy would one day become his closest, most trusted friend. Dib almost wanted to slap himself; they could have been like this years ago had he only <em>known</em>!</p><p>He just rolled his eyes at the other’s antics and lay down across from him, head resting on his closed fist and legs bent slightly (he was beginning to realise how cramped sleeping in the interior of his car was actually going to be).</p><p>The documentary continued droning on in the background, but neither were really paying attention any more. Dib watched as Zim buried himself deep within a pile of blankets and quickly pulled one away for himself before the irken-burrito was complete. His head popped out of the top, antennae raised and hitting the car seat behind them. He yawned and Dib closed the laptop with his foot.</p><p> </p><p>They lay in silence, in the darkness for a while, and Dib found himself sent back to the day before. Emotions were still raw within him and his chest hurt to think about it. Biting his lip, he forced his eyes shut to stop the tears.</p><p> </p><p>“Stop that. Stop thinking about <em>him</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>The human boy was shaken out of his reverie to stare over at the now-silent alien. He watched as the cocoon of blankets rose and fell slowly, in time with Zim’s soft breath. He couldn’t help but let his mouth fall open as he stared at the back of his friend.</p><p> </p><p>“How did you…?”</p><p>“You reek of sad puppy.” Was the only response he got.</p><p>“H-huh?”</p><p>Zim sighed, “Your hormones have a certain scent to them and I can pick up on the stronger ones.”</p><p>Dib stared at the back of him wide-eyed, “You can <em>smell </em>my hormones?!”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p> </p><p>Now completely distracted from what was bothering him before, Dib shot up and placed a hand on the irken-burrito to roll him over. The alien filling looked less than impressed when he was rudely moved and opened his eyes to a human staring intently at him.</p><p>“What?”</p><p> </p><p>“You can’t just drop that on me and expect me to go to sleep, Dude!”</p><p>“Yes, I can. I am… See?” He attempted to roll back over but was stopped.</p><p>“Come on, Zim! Tell me more… L-like… why would a race that hates emotions need that kind of ability?!” The paranormal investigator pleaded.</p><p>“I don’t know! It was probably something left over from our ancestors before the cloning… or maybe it was to allow us to sense the fear of our enemies, who knows?”</p><p>The human plopped back down and ran through all the possible uses in his head; surely it would be useful to be able to tell when their tyrant-rulers were feeling angry as well, right?</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Although, he supposed that had never stopped Zim before.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>There again… Irkens were emotionally stunted themselves.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>A thought dawned on him and he rolled it over on his tongue before he felt like he had to ask.</p><p>“… What about high school… Did I… Did-”</p><p> </p><p>“You smelled exactly as you did just a moment ago. I do not like it, so stop doing it.”</p><p> </p><p>The raven-haired boy stared at the roof of the car and thought for a while. He remembered how alone he had felt back then, and how Zim had always just acted as though nothing was wrong. How hard he had tried to proof himself to his Dad. Now he understood why it would never have worked out-</p><p> </p><p>“Stink… Zim <em>would have</em>… I-if I had known back then what this <em>meant</em>…”</p><p> </p><p>Dib sighed and laughed a little mirthlessly, “No you wouldn’t. Don’t lie… But it’s okay, I wouldn’t have either. We were both brats back then, possibly even worse than ever.”</p><p> </p><p>He smiled, “We really sucked.”</p><p> </p><p>Zim’s initial reaction was to deny that completely, but recalling what he’d just said and how the human had instantly caught him in that lie, he faltered, “We really did. We were terrible.”</p><p>“Remember that time I tried to push you in the school’s pool?”</p><p>“<em>Hah</em>! Remember when I pretended to take up art that one year…? I tried to get a giant donkey deity to kick the Earth.”</p><p>Dib laughed out loud at the memory of Zim wearing that ridiculous disguise and flying around everywhere on his little moose, “You looked like such a hipster! You didn’t even understand human fashion, how did you manage that?!”</p><p>The other joined in on the laughter, “Gir did it! You’re laughing but it <em>worked</em>! He actually did his job and found something <em>useful</em>!”</p><p>“I’ll give you this – it helped hide your uniform a lot more, but the fact that you were wearing glasses the whole time really made your lack of ears just that much more obvious! How? How did you never get discovered?!” Dib slapped a hand across his face and broke down at the absurdity of their whole lives till this point.</p><p>“My disguise is fantastic! Always has been!”</p><p>Zim threw his pillow at him; he caught it and tossed it to the back of the car.</p><p>“Nice try. You wanna get some sleep?”</p><p>Zim only grumbled and closed his eyes, shuffling deeper inside his cocoon.</p><p>“I’ll take that as a yes.”</p><p> </p><p>A few moments later Dib heard a soft breathing coming from next to him and looked over to see a quietly-snoozing Zim. He wondered how someone so loud and obnoxious could be so quiet at times like this. He had to lean over Zim in order to switch off the lights and looked down to find his own face was so very close to the alien’s; his eyes shut and a slow rise and fall under all the blankets. His hand lingered just a moment longer before flicking the switch off and moving back over to his own side of the car, where he wrapped his own blanket around his shoulders and slid the door open to step out in to the night air as quietly as he could manage.</p><p>Once outside, he threw his legs on to the back of the boot and hauled himself up. Sitting up on the roof and looking out at the clear night sky, Dib hugged himself with the lose blanket and sighed. It wasn’t even cold out. He felt his eyes grow heavy as he stared up at the sky, and was unable to stop his face from forming in to a grimace.</p><p> </p><p>He’d left Gaz back home to deal with everything all by herself. What kind of awful brother was he…?</p><p>Picking up his phone he looked for any new messaged, to find not a single notification. He quickly typed one out to her.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>12.04 am: “Hey. How u holdin up?”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He stared at the bright screen of the phone for far too long not expecting a response. She could have been asleep. She could have been ignoring him. She could have just not wanted to talk.</p><p>Then the phone bleeped in response and he opened the message to find a picture of Gaz with a couple of friends. They seemed to be round at his apartment and eating all the snacks in the cupboard; raiding his old movie collection. He thought he could see Minimoose in the background. He chuckled and felt sorry he’d ever worried in the first place.</p><p>The human boy sat alone on top of the car and hugged himself tightly, suddenly the world seemed to come crashing down around him again and he felt out of place. There was a well building up within his gut that threatened to split him apart whenever he thought about his father – Gaz seemed to be handling it just fine though, so why couldn’t he?</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Did she feel like a freak as well?</em>
</p><p> </p><p>He shook the thought from his mind, determined not to project his own feelings on to his sister. She deserved her time to work through this as well. She wasn’t alone and didn’t have to deal with things like he was.</p><p>He looked down at the roof of the car and felt that heaviness in his chest once more.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Just like high school.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>There was no one around to whine and complain to. No one who would listen and not look at him like he’d completely lost his mind. In the empty night air he found a peace with himself, it was too late to do anything and too late for anything to be expected of him – right now he could just <em>be, </em>and that was enough. He had time on this roadtrip to work through all these feelings…</p><p> </p><p>He had time while he was out here with Zim to just-</p><p>
  <em>Oh. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>This wasn’t like high school. It wasn’t the same at all. Zim was here for him. His little alien had gotten in his <em>gross, stinky </em>car and travelled all this way to hunt cryptids and monsters just to be with and support him!</p><p> </p><p>The thought brought a smile to his face. Someone did care; and it was the one person who probably always had – even if in a roundabout way. The two of them didn’t work without the other, he’d realised that even when they still fought daily; when he’d tried to give up investigating the paranormal and follow in his Dad’s footsteps – of course Zim had gone in to a depression just like he had. Now, they had a better understanding of things whilst being on the same team – supporting and helping one another.</p><p>That was why Gaz had called <em>him </em>that night. Sure, she could have stuck around and worked through it with him, but they both knew that they each had their own people now – she had her own friends to go to and shoulders to cry on. But she’d stayed until Zim had gotten there…</p><p>Gaz was a lot smarter than he gave her credit, and he needed to remember to thank her properly when they got home.</p><p> </p><p>He stayed out there and watched the stars for a while, only returning once his tired eyes begged for mercy and he almost found himself rolling off the roof of the car.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>-----------------------------</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The young man lay in bed staring up at the roof of the car. His bleary eyes sought out some nook or cranny he could latch on to to focus on. At least the hangover had subsided finally. He knew it was either very late at night or very early in the morning; he knew he was somewhere along the side of the road, wrapped in a blanket with an alien’s leg draped lazily across his torso and he knew that said alien would very likely claw his eyes out should he move him to go pee in a bush.</p><p>He barely recalled pulling over once night fell to set up a make-shift bed in the back of the car: the two seats folded down and covered in blankets that Zim had mostly stolen to form some weird amalgamation of a cocoon and a nest.</p><p>He looked like a burrito.</p><p> </p><p>Dib found himself blushing as he glared sourly at the snoring bug.</p><p>
  <em>Zim is an actual fucking gremlin. He has no business looking that cute.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Grumbling to himself, he rolled over and tugged at his <em>one</em> blanket, irritated when he felt it get pulled away from him again.</p><p>Whatever. It was a warm summer night anyway.</p><p> </p><p>Zim ranged anywhere from being a very quiet to very loud sleeper, and Dib wasn’t quite sure how he managed it. Originally, Zim had always slept around him sporadically – it was only ever for short naps, and when he did he would barely move or make a sound (sometimes Dib had actually been worried the idiot may have stopped breathing.) Now, it was more often the case that Zim would snore, roll around, purr (yes, he had long since accepted that irkens apparently did that) and wrap himself within all the covers like a cocoon.</p><p>He rolled his eyes as he thought about it and stared up at the roof of the car. The sounds of the night outside were unfamiliar and the struggle to sleep was becoming increasingly more obvious, but the human boy knew he had to get enough rest to be able to drive adequately tomorrow. There was no way he was allowing a destructive alien with half a death wish to drive <em>his </em>car. Forcing his eyes shut, Dib rolled over on to his side and tried to focus on sleep.</p><p>He was almost there when he felt something shift and twist behind him. A soft purr and then a warmth. Dib could barely believe what was happening as he felt an arm wrap around his waist and a being half his size spoon him. His face heated up as he glanced over his shoulder. It was far too dark to see anything, but he could just make out the shape of Zim nuzzled against his back. Under a pile of blankets and with his face nestled against him. He felt, rather than saw, antennae tangled in to his hair.</p><p>Adorable.</p><p> </p><p>No. Do not think of Zim as cute. He is not <em>cute. </em>He is still a little menace.</p><p>They may be friends now, but this was a bit much.</p><p>Still, he felt a warmth to his chest and a sense of tenderness. It wouldn’t matter as long as Zim didn’t find out. Dib allowed himself a sigh as he focused on the feeling of being held; hand moving over to hold the smaller, greener one that had probably poked holes in his t-shirt. At least it was an old one.</p><p>Fingers entwined and he felt the soft skin that came with wearing gloves for your entire life. He was still so fascinated by how soft the irken felt. He didn’t look it, but Zim was soft and pliable and warm. The only hardened part being his claws. He knew how sharp those things could be. However, buried in to the folds of his clothes, surrounded by blankets and pillows and with the soft, somehow-even breathing of the alien behind him, he felt content enough to drift back in to sleep.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>----------------------------</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Waking up in the morning, the irken’s eyes blinked open and pushed away the cloudy vestiges of sleep. This was still so new to him. When he had his old PAK, sleep cycles had always just been something that could be turned on and off at will when necessary. Sleeping naturally felt so strange. His mind was still foggy whenever he woke up; like an older model machine starting up. He hated it.</p><p>As his mind started to speed up once more and he took in his surroundings, his spooch lurched when he realised where he was. Or rather what was happening. He knew where he was before he even opened his eyes; the stench of Dib’s smelly car somehow soothing to him (not that he would ever understand or admit why). Strong arms were wrapped around him loosely, one hand resting on his stomach and the other on his leg. Head snapping to the side, he found himself cradled in the human’s arms; faces inches away. His eyes were wide as he took in the human’s sleeping form and warm breath against his antennae; making him shudder slightly as a warmth crept over his face. Dib looked so-</p><p><em>Weak. </em>Sleep left you weak and it was that exact sleep that had left <em>Zim </em>weak.</p><p> </p><p>Dib had not helped! Holding him like a smeet.</p><p> </p><p>Reacting quickly, he squirmed his way out of the human boy’s grasp by kicking his legs in to Dib’s torso and worming his way over to the other side of the car, shouting and raving about the position he’d woken up to.</p><p> </p><p>“LET GO OF ZIM, YOU RIDICULOUS HUMAN-WORM!”</p><p> </p><p>Dib fell to the other side of the car, head knocking against the door and arm falling down the end of the makeshift ‘bed’ they had shared moments ago.</p><p>“wha..wassat…?” The raven-haired boy mumbled, staring up at him with a frightened expression as he grabbed around him for his glasses. The irken grabbed them from the driver’s seat and tossed them over to him, crossing his arms and continuing to glare.</p><p> </p><p>“You. Touching Zim like… <em>that</em>!”</p><p>Dib was flustered, shoving his glasses to his face as he blinked to try and clear the panic from his mind and kick it in to gear, “...What?”</p><p> </p><p>“YOU HAD YOUR ARMS AROUND ZIM! WHY?!”</p><p> </p><p>Dib just stared at him.</p><p>“Are you serious…?”</p><p> </p><p>“DEADLY. NO TOUCHING ZIM.”</p><p> </p><p>The human groaned.</p><p> </p><p>“YOU CUDDLED UP TO ME IN THE NIGHT! I DIDN’T HAVE THE HEART TO WAKE YOU UP AND PUSH YOU AWAY…” He pouted, “Guess I should have done it just to see the horrified look on your face!”</p><p> </p><p>“YOU LIE!”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m not.”<br/><br/>“YOU’RE LYING!”</p><p>“Nope.”</p><p> </p><p>Zim fumed and Dib only laughed, “What? Scared to admit the mighty irken race is… <em>cute</em>?”</p><p>He wanted to scream when he saw the alien’s mouth drop open in the most offended look he had even experienced. This was definitely worth the slight embarrassment he felt at being woken up snuggled up to his best friend and ex-nemesis (he was extra grateful a certain part of his body hadn’t decided to make this extra awkward,<em> thank god</em> he wasn’t a teenager any more).</p><p> </p><p>He expected Zim to rage some more; scream at him about how irkens are powerful warriors, a force to be reckoned with… and the further thing from <em>cute </em>the Universe has ever seen.</p><p> </p><p>Instead he just received a face full of feral alien as the other flung himself from one side of the car to the other and bit him in the shoulder. It stung and he could already feel it bleeding.</p><p>“<em>OW</em>! Zim!”</p><p> </p><p>There was an evil laughter coming from on top of him as the other pinned him down, pressing harder on the shoulder with the bite and smirking widely.</p><p>Blood stained his teeth and Dib’s clothes.</p><p>It wasn’t anywhere near as rough as they used to get and it was relatively easy to shove the idiot off of him. He looked over at the bite and winced.</p><p>“It’s a wonder I’ve never gotten an infection from any shit like this…”</p><p>Zim huffed, “I am clean, <em>Dibiot</em>! The only reason you would is your own stinkiness!”</p><p>“This fucking hurts, asshole! Did you at least bring a first aid kit?!”</p><p>The alien shrugged, “Why would I?”</p><p>Dib slapped a hand to his forehead, “… You realise your PAK isn’t capable of healing every little thing that happens to you now, right?! And if you intended to start biting people then why would you not bring one?!”</p><p>The alien pouted and looked away, clearly more than a little embarrassed he had failed to realise something so simple. He chose to ignore the first point, instead saying, “It isn’t my fault humans are so weak and easy to harm… Zim was going easy on you!”</p><p> </p><p>Said human in question had had enough.</p><p>He picked up a pillow and slapped the extra-terrestrial in the head as hard as he could. The alien fell backwards dramatically, shrieking – but grateful for an excuse to not think about what had happened. <em>He’d never felt so safe and comfortable while he slept before.</em></p>
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